PHILADELPHIA — BYU defensive end Tyler Batty was named Monday to the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football by the Maxwell Football Club.
The Bednarik Award watch list for 2024 incorporates a broad spectrum of FBS Division I programs and conferences from coast to coast. Six conferences are represented, including the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, SEC, AAC, MAC, Mountain West and Sunbelt, as well as three individuals from independent schools.
In early July, Batty was one of 30 players to be selected to the 2024 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team by media representatives who cover the league. The senior from Payson, Utah, has also been named preseason All-Big 12 First Team by Athlon Sports, Phil Steele and College Football Network. In addition, he was selected to the 2024 watch list for the annual East-West Shrine Bowl.
Batty is coming off a junior season where he earned All-Big 12 Second Team accolades, while being named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Honorable Mention and Defensive Lineman of the Year Honorable Mention. He led the Cougars for a third straight year in sacks, picking up 5.5 with nine total tackles for loss. He finished the 2023 season with 57 total tackles to lead the defensive line and had eight quarterback hurries, while also forcing two fumbles and recovering another.
Off the field, Batty earned a spot on the prestigious 2023 AFCA Allstate Good Works Team, which is awarded annually to 11 FBS players that excel on the field and are exemplary in their service to the community.
Semifinalists for the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced Nov. 12, 2024. The winner of the award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 12, 2024. The formal presentations of the Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday March 14, 2025, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Maxwell Football Club partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine.
Awarded to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994, the Bednarik Award is named in honor of Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik who was an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania and later a multiple year All Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and was the last NFL player to be a full-time player on both offense and defense.
Click HERE for the full list of 2024 Bednarik Award candidates.