Tony Thomas
Author
Ahead of their Top 5 matchup in week 1 in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, it was announced today that both Texas and Ohio State landed star defenders on the prestigious Bednarik Award Watchlist for 2025. Both teams placed a combined five players on the list.
Free safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Sonny Styles made the list for the Buckeyes. Last season for the reigning national champions, Downs racked up 82 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups, two INTs and recorded a punt return for a touchdown. Against Michigan, Downs posted 11 tackles and picked off a pass in a 3-point loss.
Styles recorded 100 tackles, to go with 10.5 tackles for loss and six sacks.
Previous Bednarik Award winners for the Buckeyes include Chase Young in 2019.
The Texas Longhorns landed three of their skillful defenders on the prestigious list: defensive end Colin Simmons, linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., and safety Michael Taafe.
Simmons posted 49 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and nine sacks as a true freshman a season ago.
Hill was king when it came to making tackles. He racked up 113 stops, which was tops on the team. In addition, he made 16.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Hill recorded double-digit tackles in three games last season, including 11 against Oklahoma in a 34-3 victory by the Longhorns.
Taafe was among the top tacklers for the Longhorns with 78 stops. In addition, Taafe picked off two passes and 10 pass breakups. In the College Football Playoff game against Arizona State, Taafe recorded 10 tackles in a 39-31 win.
Since the Bednarik Award’s inception in 1995, no Longhorn defender has ever won the award.
On Aug. 30, a gathering of fanatics wearing scarlet and gray with a smattering of burnt orange will come together in central Ohio. It will be a golden opportunity for these elite defensive skill players to leave their mark on the game, and their opponent.
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