Notre Dame's Julian Okwara And Khalid Kareem Named To Bednarik Watch List
A pair of Notre Dame ends were named to the preseason Watch List for the 2019 Chuck Bednarik Award. The award goes each year to the Defensive Player of the Year as voted on by the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA).
Senior defensive end Julian Okwara led the Irish defense with 12.5 tackles for loss and tied with All-American Jerry Tillery for the team-lead with eight sacks. His 61 quarterback pressures according to Pro Football Focus ranked seventh in the country last season.
Okwara was named a preseason second-team All-American in the Lindy's Sports preseason magazine, third-team honors from Athlon Sports and fourth-team from Phil Steele.
Kareem tied with Tillery for second on the defense with 10.5 tackles for loss. His 37 quarterback pressures ranks 28th among all returning Power 5 ends. Kareem added 4.5 sacks and led the Irish defensive line with five pass break ups from the edge.
The award was first handed out in 1995 and only one Notre Dame player - linebacker Manti Te'o (2012) - has won the award.
Seven Notre Dame opponents also made the Bednarik Watch List: Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo, Duke defensive end Victor Dimukeje, Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall, Michigan cornerback Lavert Hill, Michigan safety Josh Metellus, Georgia safety J.R. Reed and USC defensive tackle Jay Tufele.
The award is named after linebacker Chuck Bednarik, who played at Penn and was drafted as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1949 NFL Draft. Bednarik was a two-time consensus All-American, won the Maxwell Award as the nation's best player (1948) and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Bednarik is also in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after winning two NFL championships with the Philadelphia Eagles (1949-62).
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