Football . July 15, 2019

Bentley, Kinlaw Named to First Set of Watch Lists

by Steve Fink

Jake Bentley was named to the Maxwell Award Watch List while Javon Kinlaw was selected to the Bednarik Award Watch List.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – University of South Carolina senior quarterback Jake Bentley and senior defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw have earned spots on the 83rd annual Maxwell Award and 25th annual Chuck Bednarik Award watch lists, the Maxwell Football Club announced this morning (Monday, July 15).

Bentley is among those in contention for the Maxwell Award, while Kinlaw is on the preseason watch list for the Bednarik Award.

A 6-4, 220-pound senior from Opelika, Ala., Bentley owns a 19-13 career record as a starter, including a 10-7 mark in SEC games. He ranks second in South Carolina history in completion percentage (62.8), is third in pass completions (610) and passing touchdowns (54), fourth in passing yards (7,385), pass attempts (972) and touchdowns responsible for (62) and fifth in total offense (7,533) entering his senior season.

A 6-6, 310-pound senior from Charleston, S.C., Kinlaw has appeared in 25 games over the past two seasons, making 22 starts. He owns 12 tackles for loss among his 58 total stops, including 4.5 sacks, while deflecting eight passes, forcing three fumbles, recovering two fumbles, tallying three quarterback hurries and a pair of blocked kicks.

The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell, has been given to America’s College Player of the Year since 1937. Maxwell’s contributions to the game of football were extensive, including time as a player, a sportswriter and an official. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. Chuck Bednarik, former standout at Penn and with the Philadelphia Eagles, is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of ’69 and the NFL Hall of Fame’s Class of ’67.

Tua Tagovailoa capped a brilliant 2018 season at Alabama by becoming the third Crimson Tide player to win the Maxwell Award, joining AJ McCarron (2013) and Derrick Henry (2015). Josh Allen, the 2018 Bednarik Award winner, was the first player from the University of Kentucky to win the award. Allen was chosen with the 7^th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tagovailoa will return to Tuscaloosa for his junior season at Alabama.

The Maxwell and Bednarik Awards are members of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935.