Ohio State Buckeyes Trio Named To Bednarik Award Watchlist

Three Ohio State Buckeyes have been named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watchlist on Monday. Who made the list?

Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) celebrates his sack of Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) in the third quarter during the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Ohio State Buckeyes have so much talent on their defense headed into the 2024 regular season. Monday was the scheduled day for the Chuck Bednarik Award watchlist to be announced, which is for the defensive player of the year in college football. Rather than if any Buckeyes would make the watchlist this year, the question was more about how many and which players would make the list.

Three stars ended up being named to the watchlist from Ohio State's defense. Two highly-experienced players in defensive end Jack Sawyer and cornerback Denzel Burke made the list. Elite sophomore safety and Alabama transfer Caleb Downs was the third.

This trio is ready to dominate, starting off with Preseason @BednarikAward Watch list honors 💥
@caleb_downs2 @jacksawyer33 @DenzelBurke10 pic.twitter.com/ePVmxgUCgE

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 12, 2024

Ohio State was not the only school to have three representatives on the extensive watchlist. The Georgia Bulldogs, Iowa Hawkeyes, Miami Hurricanes and Michigan Wolverines were the other schools to join the Buckeyes as tied for the lead with most representatives.

As for the Big Ten Conference as a whole, they tied for second-most representatives with the ACC at 19 total. The SEC had 21 total.

Jack Sawyer is set to be a vocal leader and potentially a sack leader for the Buckeyes in 2024. The senior from Pickerington, Ohio tallied a team leading 6.5 sacks in 2023. He also had 48 total tackles and two forced fumbles. Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau and Tyleik Williams are expected to perhaps head the most disruptive defensive line in all of college football.

As for Denzel Burke and Caleb Downs, they both will be critical pieces in a secondary loaded with talent. Burke is a veteran in the group as a senior and often times quarterbacks are looking to not throw in his direction. Burke will often be matched up with the top wide receiver of the opposing team. Downs is the youngest player in the starting secondary, but he is special. As a true freshman at Alabama, he tallied over 100 total tackles and was named to the Freshman All-American team.

Aug 8, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2) lines up during football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

There are certainly some other players who could have been in the conversation for this watchlist, however, these three players are excellent nominees. All three are slated to have big seasons, barring any injuries.