Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Darius Hamilton was named to the Bednarik Award Preseason Watch List this afternoon. It is awarded annually to the top defensive player in college football and it is named after Chuck Bednarik, who is a member of both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame’s.

Hamilton was named to last season’s Bednarik Watch List, but played in just one game due to injury.  It’s nice to see his career work stand up for itself and for him to receive another nomination for the upcoming season. Hamilton is looking to close his Rutgers career on a high note.  He was the defensive MVP for Rutgers in 2014 and was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the media.  Entering his final season on the banks, Hamilton has accumulated 110 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and 24.5 tackles for a loss in his career. The former 5-star recruit and Don Bosco Prep star has been working hard to prepare for his senior season.

Strength and conditioning coach Kenny Parker has been working with the Rutgers football team since the beginning of 2016. While Hamilton has been recovering from his leg injury during most of that time, he did participate in most of spring practice and offseason workouts.  Improving his size and strength was a need for Hamilton, who has been considered small and undersized for his position, especially in the Big Ten conference. However, take a look at this picture from the team having fun at the beach last Friday. Hamilton is in the front row on the far right wearing the black t-shirt with white print. He is considerably bigger in his upper body, which is an exciting prospect for Rutgers fans regarding his potential impact this fall.

Rutgers invades the beach. Great start to the Holiday weekend. pic.twitter.com/qNNpygUnoj

— Chris Ash (@CoachChrisAsh) July 1, 2016

Overall, the Big Ten had 16 nominees named to the Bednarik Watch List. For the full list of nominees, click here. The semifinalist’s for the award will be named on October 31st. The three finalists will be announced on November 21st, with the winner being named on December 8th.

Hamilton will be a huge key to the success of the Rutgers defense this season.  He should also be expected to be named a team captain for the third time.  His relationship with the new coaching staff and positive attitude during the transition this offseason has been very important. He is expected to participate in full activities once training camp begins in August. Getting off to a fast start in 2016 will be imperative for both Hamilton and Rutgers. He has been a great player and a class act during his time on the banks, so being named to the Bednarik Watch List is hopefully one of many good things to happen to Darius this season!

Congrats to Darius Hamilton being named Bednarik Award watch list! pic.twitter.com/49CEuqfxdw

— Chris Ash (@CoachChrisAsh) July 5, 2016

Maryland’s football season starts in 60 days. Until then, we’re doing a player-by-player preview of the entire roster.

Mbi Tanyi, outside linebacker

Height: 6’1

Weight: 280 pounds

Year: Sophomore

High school: George Bush High School (Houston, Tex.)

How Tanyi got to College Park

Tanyi came to the Terps as a three-star recruit from Houston. He committed to Maryland in June 2014, choosing the Terps over Houston, Washington and Air Force, among other schools. He is one of two Texans on Maryland’s roster.

With Abner Logan and Jefferson Ashiru each lost for the season to injury, Tanyi got to see some game action as a true freshman. He made four tackles in seven games in 2015.

A career highlight

Making two tackles in the Terps’ loss to Michigan.

2016 prospectus

Tanyi should receive some looks at linebacker this season, but a healthy Abner Logan and eligible transfer Melvin Keihn could make it hard for him to carve out a significant role in the team’s rotation.

What a dream season would look like

Tanyi carves out a role for himself on special teams, and gets some occasional looks on defense early during the cupcake portion of Maryland’s schedule. He shows DJ Durkin and Andy Buh enough that he is in the running for a starting spot in 2017.

The next player in the series

Won the Zellner Award as a high-schooler. (No, you’re not supposed to know what that is.)

Standings

Testudbro-5
PeachesTerp-5
reborn579- 4
apgibson24-3
jayman88-2
terpcommenter-2
ImFromMarylandAndNobodyCanBeatMe- 2
jgoldy17-2
amaymom27- 2
Murderlandboy- 2
Scaletta- 2
ezra2141-1
Mr. Papageorgeo-1
RedTurtle-1
Carolina-1
PMatt-1
EricPat

Each and every year, the Maxwell Award is given to the college football player of the year. Alabama Crimson Tide running back, Derrick Henry, won the award last season and the Oregon Ducks quarterback, Marcus Mariota, took home the honors the year before. Now, as the world of college football looks forward to 2016, we have a new list of hopefuls.

Two Oklahoma Sooners — quarterback Baker Mayfield and running back Samaje Perine — have been added to the list of players to watch for the Maxwell Award. In 2015, Mayfield threw for 3,700 yards including 36 touchdown passes. On the ground, Perine may have split carries but amassed 1,349 total yards while crossing the goal line 16 times.

In the history of the award, only two former Sooners have claimed the title of college football’s player of the year. The first was Pro Football Hall of Famer and wide receiver, Tommy McDonald in 1956. The second happens to be Jason White, a quarterback plagued by knee injuries throughout his career.

Could a third join them in 2016?

They say that the backup quarterback is the most popular guy in town when the starter is struggling. Even with a record-setting quarterback like Marquise Williams, Mitch Trubisky was still the topic of conversation many times over the past two seasons. Trubisky, the former Mr. Football in the state of Ohio, lost out on the starting quarterback position twice to Williams, but he still managed to show that he was a valuable asset with the potential of a future star whenever he did see action.

With Williams on the bench after losing his helmet, Trubisky first opened eyes with a go ahead touchdown pass on a pivotal 3rd down and six late in the fourth quarter on the road at Virginia in 2014 to cap a Tar Heel victory in Charlottesville. A year later, he was able to shine in relief of a struggling Williams, going 17 for 20 with 312 yards passing and four touchdowns in a win versus Delaware, earning himself ACC Offensive Back of the Week honors. The performance sparked the peak of the Williams vs Trubisky debate but lost traction after Williams had one of his patented bounce back performances at Georgia Tech in the following week.

Trubisky continued to see time and excel in spot duty throughout the 2015 season. At NC State, he was once again on for Williams for a play and managed to avoid defenders and fire a touchdown pass in a third down and goal situation. In the ACC Championship game against Clemson, Trubisky easily transitioned off the bench to convert on third down and long for the Tar Heels.

The success that Trubisky found in those spots, along with what Carolina returns with in 2016, has led Williams to place–on several occasions–lofty expectations for his successor heading into 2016.

With that being said, how realistic are these expectations? Another 11-1 regular season would likely do the trick once again with the Coastal crown. In Williams’ scenario of beating Clemson, that’s not that farfetched given what could have been if a certain onside kick wasn’t called offsides, but we don’t need to talk about that injustice.

A College Football Playoff berth would be difficult even with a 12-1 record and ACC title due to the glaring scheduling mishap of once again having two FCS teams on tap for 2016—something that heavily affected Carolina’s rankings throughout the Playoff polling and played a role in them being snubbed from the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The addition of Florida State and Georgia to the schedule also complicates the Tar Heels’ playoff chances, but are two games that would bolster their odds should they come out on the right side of each.

That alone would be hard enough for Trubisky to live up to if he wasn’t already faced with the task of following the most prolific quarterback in program history. As pointed out before, the performance in spot duty is encouraging but still only offers a small sample size. A cautionary tale that Carolina fans should look at before anointing Trubisky the piece that will elevate Carolina to the next level is that of Jeremy Johnson at Auburn last year.

Johnson, like Trubisky, was voted Mr. Football in his respective state of Alabama and came into his first season as a starter with high expectations. Again, like Trubisky, Johnson had to follow a prolific quarterback, one in Nick Marshall, who led Auburn to a National Championship berth. Johnson earned much of his acclaim, like Trubisky, with his success in spot duty. Most notably, a two-touchdown, 243-passing yard first half showing against Arkansas, while Marshall sat out due to suspension.

Johnson then struggled to live up to expectations in Auburn’s first three games, being intercepted six times, prompting the Auburn coaching staff to bench the quarterback after he lost all confidence. Unlike Johnson, Trubisky won’t been burdened with Heisman Trophy expectations, but has still been given attention as a missing link to a potential National Championship.

Confidence shouldn’t be an issue with Trubisky. Throughout his time in Chapel Hill, even when things weren’t going his way, he has made the most of his opportunities, as seen by his play in aforementioned spot duty.

He carried over that confidence in the spring by stepping into a leadership role even before being named the starter. In the annual spring game, Trubisky completed 13 of 22 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown to lock up the starting job heading into the summer. The confidence that the coaching staff and players have placed on him is part of the reason why many are encouraged about the things he may be able to do as his new regime begins under center.

There’s no doubt that Trubisky possesses the skill set to operate the Carolina offense at a high level. With the experience returning on the offensive side of the ball, there is good reason for all of the optimism surrounding a Trubisky-led offense. It’s important that Carolina fans recognize that there is still a learning curve in an offense when a new quarterback–even one who has spent four years in a system–takes over.

Trubisky may very well follow up on Williams’ promise and lead Carolina to its first ACC championship since 1980, but even a Coastal title defense and an increase in overall offensive numbers should be considered a success in the signal caller’s first season.

Two Wisconsin Badgers seniors are receiving preseason love from award committees. Running back Corey Clement and outside linebacker Vince Biegel were named on Monday to the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Bednarik Award, respectively.

Clement returns to Madison after an injury-shortened 2015 where he only rushed for 221 yards and five touchdowns in four games. The New Jersey native hopes to recapture the form he displayed backing up Melvin Gordon in 2014, where he ran for 949 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Maxwell Award is bestowed upon the nation’s top player.

Biegel returns for his fifth year after forming one of the most productive linebacking duos in college football with the now-departed Joe Schobert. He recorded 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks last season. In the past two seasons alone, Biegel accumulated 30.5 tackles for loss for Top-10 defensive units that were among the best in the country.

The Bednarik Award is presented to college football’s “most outstanding defensive player.”

Here’s the official press release from the UW Athletic Department:

Biegel, Clement named to preseason watch lists

Wisconsin seniors eyed for Bednarik, Maxwell awards

July 5, 2016

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin seniors Vince Biegel and Corey Clement are getting early looks for two of college football’s most prestigious prizes.

Clement was named to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the nation’s top player, while Biegel earned preseason recognition from the Bednarik Award, presented to the most outstanding defensive player in college football.

The Maxwell Football Club announced preseason watch lists for both honors Tuesday. The Maxwell Award will be presented for the 80th time his fall, while the Bednarik Award is being presented for the 22nd-consecutive year.

Clement enters his senior season looking to regain the form he showed at running back before being slowed by an injury last season that limited him to just 48 rushing attempts for 221 yards and five touchdowns. The Glassboro, New Jersey, native saw action in only four games in 2015.

As a sophomore, Clement rushed for 949 yards and nine TDs as the backup to Heisman Trophy finalist Melvin Gordon, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. That came on the heels of an impressive debut season in 2013 in which he recorded 547 yards on just 67 carries (8.2 average) as UW’s No. 3 tailback behind Gordon and James White.

Biegel is the top returner for a Badgers unit that led the nation in scoring defense (13.7 points per game) and ranked No. 2 nationally in total defense (268.5 yards per game) last season. The outside linebacker from Wisconsin Rapids was a third-team All-Big Ten selection while recording 66 total tackles – including 14.0 for loss and 8.0 sacks – as a junior in 2015.

Pro Football Focus has rated Biegel the nation’s top returning outside linebacker, grading him No. 1 both against the run and as a pass rusher.

The Maxwell Football Club will announce semifinalists for both awards on Oct. 31 and finalists on Nov. 21. The winners will be named during The Home Depot College Football Awards show on Dec. 8.

Boosie Whitlow

Sophomore
Buck (DE / Outside Linebacker)
6”3’ / 238
Opelika, AL

Recruitment

A consensus three-star prospect out of Opelika High School, Whitlow was widely recruited across the country. Other SEC offers came from Kentucky, Florida and Mississippi St.

247 ranked him as the 29th best player in the state of Alabama and the 38th best weak side defensive end in the country for his 2014 class.

College Career

Whitlow appeared in all 12 games for the Gamecocks in 2015, primarily as a pass rushing specialist. He compiled 14 total tackles, 5 of which were for a loss and one sack. He earned three total starts versus Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Tennessee.

2016 Outlook

You won’t find Whitlow’s name on the post-spring depth chart, but that doesn’t mean he won’t play an important role for the Gamecocks in 2016. The fact that he gained experience in every game last season proves he has the talent and ability to become one of South Carolina’s more important defenders for year’s to come, and is someone you should expect the defensive coached to feature this season.

While he earned most of his experience in pass-rushing situations his true freshman season, look for Whitlow’s impact to grow as Coach Robinson and Muschamp find effective situations to utilize his perimeter speed.

Trivia

Yes, Boosie is a nickname. Any guess as to what Whitlow’s real first name may be?

In past years, we’ve come up with some creative ways to rank ACC players, Syracuse Orange football opponents and more, in the lead-up to the new season. This year, we’re going position by position, ranking the top five players SU faces at each. These are obviously just pulled from the 12 scheduled opponents, and only those. So when you ask “where is ACC player X?” or “how can you skip ACC player Y?”… that’s how.

Today:

Top Five Opposing Offensive Linemen

1. Roderick Johnson, Left Tackle, Florida State Seminoles

A returning 1st-team All-ACC player, the junior could very well be on of the top offensive tackles in the country. Johnson is a massive body on the line, at 6-foot-7 and 307 pounds, and already has a year-and-a-half of starts under his belt. He was instrumental when Florida State’s quarterbacks stayed up right (26 sacks against ranked about middle of the country), and obviously helped facilitate Dalvin Cook’s breakout year at running back too. This line brings a good deal of experience (ahem: everyone’s back), but none more crucial than Johnson’s.

2. Mitch Hyatt, Left Tackle, Clemson Tigers

Hyatt isn’t the elder statesman of Clemson’s retooled line, but that’s all relative when you’re one of just two or three starters to return. Last year, teammates Eric MacLain and Jay Guillermo got more headlines, sure. This year, however, Hyatt, just a sophomore, could be poised to break out. The Tigers protected Deshaun Watson very well in 2015, and this season’s youth on the line could put a slight dent in that record. Hyatt, though, should still be one of the group’s rocks (along with Guillermo), and is in line for national attention as he likely makes a big leap in year two.

3. Adam Bisnowaty, Left Tackle, Pittsburgh Panthers

With 31 starts in his career, Bisnowaty is one of the ACC’s most tenured offensive linemen, and the results — especially in the run game — will show as much once again in 2016. Like all of these players, Bisnowaty’s got a ton of size (6-foot-6, 300 pounds), but his technique and footwork have had him on NFL teams’ radars for at least a year now. Again, having as many capable rushing options as Pitt certainly helps make matters easier for a line. But that can’t discount what Bisnowaty’s contributed either. Along with the rest of the Pitt lines of the last three years, he’s helped six different players run for 400 yards in one season now.

4. Mike McGlinchey, Left Tackle, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Another tall (6-foot-8), large wing-spanned tackle for an inexperienced Syracuse defensive front to go up against. “Great.” McGlinchey has grown gradually into his role as a leader for Notre Dame. After earning his first starting role last year, the top three offensive linemen from last year disappear, leaving him (and fellow junior Quenton Nelson) as the new stars of a rebuilt line. Notre Dame’s never really had trouble recruiting linemen, so the reinforcements will be fine. But McGlinchey, particularly, will play a big part in keeping whoever wins the quarterback battle upright. We may be a year away from All-America talk, but he’s still a name to watch, nationally.

5. Geron Christian, Left Tackle, Louisville Cardinals

Christian may not possess the recruiting accolades and fanfare of the players ahead of him on this list, but he’s still every bit as critical to his team’s success as they are. Lacking blue-chippers, Louisville has managed to load up on size (many players over 6-foot-4 and 300-plus pounds) where they lack in star ratings. This year, the poster boy for that is Christian, the Cardinal’s towering left tackle who could work himself into the All-ACC conversation by season’s end. The biggest task for him, and the rest of the young Cards line, will be cutting down sacks. They allowed 44 last year, which was second-worst in the country.

***

Yes, they’re all left tackles. Sorry. That’s just how things shook out this year. See any other players on this year’s schedule who could also crack this list (I’d assume so, since a lot of ACC O-linemen are getting preseason honors in 2016)? Share your additions/subtractions below.

The Syracuse Orange have had a run on 2017 wide receivers in recent days. Only natural that they even things out with a commitment on the other side of the ball.

Grafton Memorial athlete Ifeatu Melifonwu gave his verbal to Syracuse late Saturday night, making him the fifth Class of 2017 commitment in the last six days.

BREAKING: Syracuse lands commitment from Grafton (MA) DB Ifeatu Melifonwu @Ifeatu_Mel https://t.co/rZPXhdyVyz pic.twitter.com/afa9rmfsDp

— Mike McAllister (@McAllisterScout) July 3, 2016

I am committed to Syracuse University pic.twitter.com/AUmmS4wXsP

— Ifeatu 〽️elifonwu (@Ifeatu_Mel) July 3, 2016

Melifonwu spoke to CuseNation about his decision.

“Just a long talk with my family,” Melifonwu said. “My brother goes to UConn and I kind of wanted to carve my own path at Syracuse.”

“I loved the campus, the athletic facilities and the coaching staff,” Melifonwu said. “My relationship with the coaches was really important because I felt like I could be honest with them.”

The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder is technically listed as an ATH and played WR in high school but he’s come to SU to play either cornerback or free safety. He chose SU over offers from Boston College and UConn and also had interest from Northwestern.

His brother is Obi Melifonwu, a redshirt senior safety with the Connecuticut Huskies.

He’s the first DB in the Class of 2017 and yet another speedster in a class full of them.