Texas Longhorns DB Jahdae Barron Named to Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List

Texas Longhorns defensive back Jahdae Barron continues to reel in the preseason accolades.

Matt Galatzan | Aug 14, 2024

Oct 21, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive back Jahdae Barron (23) in action during the game against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

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Texas Longhorns

With senior defensive back Jahdae Barron leading the way, the Texas Longhorns defense is going to be in good hands this fall.

Not only is Barron considered a surefire NFL talent heading into his final season, but he has also found himself earning multiple preseason accolades this summer, including being named a preseason second-team All-SEC selection and part of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list.

Now, he has been named to yet another watchlist, this time for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is given annually to the most outstanding defensive player in college football, the Maxwell Football Club announced on Monday.

Returning as a fifth-year senior, the defensive back will be a key leader for the Texas secondary. Barron played in all 14 games last season and registered 61 total tackles, 32 solo, 4.5 for loss, one interception, one fumble recovery, and a career-high of six pass breakups.

He's also tied for sixth in program history for most non-offensive touchdowns with three.

The winner of the award will be announced on Dec. 12 at the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show, with the formal presentation to come March 14 at the Maxwell Football Club Awards at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.

Barron is one of 90 preseason candidates for the award, including 19 other SEC players.

Should Barron manage to take home the award, he would become the first player in Longhorns program history to do so.

Barron and the Longhorns will make their season debut on August 31 in Austin vs. Colorado State.

Published Aug 12, 2024|Modified Aug 14, 2024

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.