AUBURN, Ala. – Of the 90 players on this year's Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, Auburn has two with Colby Wooden and Derick Hall both being recognized Monday.
The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994 and is named in honor of Chuck "Concrete Charlie" Bednarik who was an All-American player at the University of Pennsylvania and later an 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.
Wooden and Hall were both recently named to the Media Day All-SEC Team with Wooden earning Second Team honors and Hall being a First Team selection.
Wooden has started each of the last two seasons on the defensive line for Auburn. The Georgia native finished fourth on the team last year with 61 tackles. He also tallied 8.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, seven quarterback hurries and blocked a field goal against Alabama State. He was twice named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.
Hall led the Tigers last year with 12.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks, including three sacks in the regular season finale against Alabama. The senior edge started every game and finished with 54 tackles in all. He was voted Second Team All-SEC by the coaches.
Auburn is one of 12 teams to have two players represented on this year's Bednarik Award Watch List. The Tigers have now had at least one player make the watch list in each of the last six years. They've also had two finalists in recent memory with Derrick Brown in 2019 and Nick Fairley in 2010.
Semifinalists for this year's Bednarik Award will be announced Nov. 1, and the three finalists will be unveiled on Nov. 22. The winner of the 28th Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 8.
Auburn lands Wooden, Hall on Bednarik Award Watch List
