Ohio State Buckeyes LB Tommy Eichenberg Named Semifinalist for Bednarik Award

Ohio State Buckeyes standout linebacker Tommy Eichenberg is a semifinalist for the coveted Bednarik Award.

As the college football season begins its stretch run, some players are separating themselves from others by being named as finalists for post-season awards. On Monday, Buckeyes linebacker Tommy Eichenberg was named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award for the outstanding defensive player in college football.

Eichenberg has been a standout linebacker for the Buckeyes through the first nine games, registering a team-best 75 tackles, one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, and one forced fumble.

Eichenberg missed the Buckeyes' contest with the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday with an arm injury, and his status has been listed by coach Ryan Day as week-to-week.

It's the second consecutive season Eichenberg has been named as a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award. Last year, the Cleveland, Ohio native did not emerge as a finalist, although putting up impressive numbers with 120 tackles, 12 for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, one touchdown, and three pass breakups.

Tommy Eichenberg / USA Today Sports

Although passed up for the Bednarik Award last year, Eichenberg did receive All-Big Ten and All-American honors.

This season, Eichenberg is one of six semifinalists for the award along with Alabama’s Dallas Turner, Clemson’s Jeremiah Trotter Jr., N.C. State’s Payton Wilson, Old Dominion’s Jason Henderson and Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper.

Eichenberg graduated in May as a fifth-year senior with his degree in real estate and is a two-time Academic all-Big Ten honoree and OSU Scholar-Athlete. He was a four-star recruit who was a consensus top-10 ranked player in the state of Ohio as a high school senior.

Finalists will be announced later this month, while the winner of the Bednarik Award will be announced at the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards banquet in December.