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Four Virginia Football Players Named to Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List

Matt Newton

Chico Bennett Jr. was one of four Virginia football players named to the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List.
Chico Bennett Jr. was one of four Virginia football players named to the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List. / Hannah Pajewski-USA TODAY Sports
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Four Virginia football players were among the "best of the best" draft-eligible prospects in college football named to the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List announced on Wednesday. Defensive end Chico Bennett Jr., defensive back Jonas Sanker, offensive lineman Brian Stevens, and wide receiver Chris Tyree were listed on the watch list for the 12th annual Reese's Senior Bowl.

This is the second-consecutive appearance on the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List for Chico Bennett Jr., who returned to UVA for his fifth season of college football. Playing in all but one of UVA's games in the last two years, Bennett tallied 34 tackles in each of the last two seasons, registering seven sacks and an All-ACC honorable mention in 2022 and 4.5 tackles for loss in 2023.

Jonas Sanker has been raking in the preseason accolades and nominations to award watch lists. The Charlottesville native is coming off of a breakout 2023 campaign that saw him earn a First-Team All-ACC selection as he led the team in tackles and pass breakups. Sanker has been named to the watch lists for the Jim Thorpe, Bronko Nagurski, and Chuck Bednarik awards and was selected to the Preseason All-ACC Football Team.

Former Dayton transfer Brian Stevens made the move to center in week 3 last season and never looked back, grading as the top run-blocking center in the ACC and earning an All-ACC honorable mention in 2023. This year, Stevens has been named to the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy, presented annually to the top center in college football.

Notre Dame transfer Chris Tyree played in 49 games over four seasons with the Fighting Irish, registering 1,161 rushing yards, 945 receiving yards, 1,059 kickoff return yards, and 119 punt return yards. He recorded at least one touchdown in each of those four categories, the first Notre Dame football player to accomplish that feat in 20 years, and accounted for 17 total touchdowns and 3,284 all-purpose yards in his career.

The watch list does not include juniors who could become eligible for the draft after this season. The list will be updated throughout the season as the Senior Bowl staff scouts continue to evaluate seniors playing their finals seasons of college football.

The 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl will take place on Saturday, February 1st in Mobile, Alabama.

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.