Ohio State defensive end Zach Harrison and safety Ronnie Hickman were named to the 2022 Bednarik Award watch list by the Maxwell Football Club on Monday morning.
Harrison and Hickman are on the watch list with a talented pool of players, including Heisman Trophy finalist Will Anderson of Alabama. The Crimson Tide (Anderson, Jordan Battle and Henry To’o To’o) are tied with Clemson (Myles Murphy, Bryan Bresee and Trenton Simpson) and Georgia (Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith and Kelee Ringo) for the most players on the list with three. Ohio State accompanies Arkansas, Auburn, Iowa, NC State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Pittsburgh with two representatives.
This May, Harrison and Hickman were named to the Lott IMPACT Award watch list, presented annually to the college football defensive IMPACT player of the year. IMPACT is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity — five qualities NFL Hall of Fame inductee Ronnie Lott exemplified during his football career.
The Bednarik Award is named after Chuck Bednarik, a former college and professional football player, and honors the best defensive player in college football for their performance during a season. Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis won the award in 2021 with 32 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks.
