It’s just about that time where all the college football award watch lists get released ahead of the (hopeful) upcoming season.

On Monday, the Bednarik Award watch list was released featuring 11 SEC players. The Bednarik Award is given annually to the nation’s top defensive player. Ohio State’s Chase Young won the award in 2019. The last SEC player to win the award was former Kentucky pass rusher Josh Allen in 2018.

All total, 6 former SEC players have won the award: Allen, Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama), Jonathan Allen (Alabama), Tyrann Mathieu (LSU), Patrick Peterson (LSU) and David Pollack (Georgia).

This year, several elite SEC defenders made the watch list. Obviously, if an SEC player is having a defensive player of the year-type season, he would be added to the list of finalists towards the end of the season.

Below are the 11 SEC defenders listed on the preseason watch list:

  • Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri
  • KJ Britt, LB, Auburn
  • Jabril Cox, LB, LSU
  • Richard LeCounte, DB, Georgia
  • Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama
  • JaCoby Stevens, DB, LSU
  • Derek Stingley, DB, LSU
  • Eric Stokes, DB, Georgia
  • Patrick Surtain, DB, Alabama
  • Henry To’o To’o, LB, Tennessee
  • Jamar Watson, LB, Kentucky