Maxwell Award semifinalist J.T. Barrett of Ohio State

Maxwell Football Club President, Mark Dianno, announced the 2017 semifinalists for the 81st Maxwell Award for the Collegiate Player of the Year and the 23rd Chuck Bednarik Award for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year. The respective lists include a field of 18 candidates for the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards as selected by the Maxwell Football Club National Selection Committee.

The Maxwell Football Club has once again teamed with Pro Football Focus (PFF) as a selection committee partner. PFF provides detailed statistical and performance based assessments to selection committee staff, and several senior PFF analysts have been added to our committee and have participated in the selection process.

The field of Maxwell Award semifinalists includes a representative from every Power Five conference including two student-athletes from Oklahoma State. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won the award last year, and Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts are returners from last year’s semifinalist list.

The field of contenders for the Bednarik Award is made of of representatives from seven different conferences and led by five student-athletes from the ACC and four from the Big Ten. Last year’s winner was Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, who is now in the NFL with the Washington Redskins.

Semifinalist voting for both of the awards will close on Nov. 19. Three finalists for each award will be announced on Nov. 20 and a second round of voting will take place at that time. Eligible voters include Maxwell Football Club members, NCAA head football coaches, sports information directors and selected national media. The winners will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 7, 2017. The formal presentation of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club’s Awards Dinner on Friday, March 9, 2018 at the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. All semifinalists are listed in alphabetical order with the player’s school, position and class designated.

Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick is a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award.

 

                                                                   2017 Chuck Bednarik Award Semifinalists:

First Name	Last Name	Position	School	Year
Minkah	Fitzpatrick	DB	Alabama	Junior
Dexter	Lawrence	DT	Clemson	Sophomore
Joe	Giles-Harris	LB	Duke	Sophomore
Derwin	James	S	Florida State	Sophomore
Roquan	Smith	LB	Georgia	Junior
Ed	Oliver	DT	Houston	Sophomore
Josey	Jewell	LB	Iowa	Senior
Josh	Jackson	CB	Iowa	Junior
Maurice	Hurst	DT	Michigan	Senior
Jeffery	Simmons	DT	Mississippi State	Sophomore
Bradley	Chubb	DE	NC State	Senior
Sutton	Smith	DE	Northern Illinois	Sophomore
Nick	Bosa	DE	Ohio State	Sophomore
Ogbonnia	Okoronkwo	LB	Oklahoma	Senior
Harrison	Phillips	DT	Stanford	Senior
Duke	Ejiofor	DE	Wake Forest	Senior
Vita	Vea	DT	Washington	Junior
Hercules	Mata’afa	DE	Washington State	Junior