Kyle Kennard Named a Bednarik Award Semifinalist

University of South Carolina senior Edge rusher Kyle Kennard is one of 20 semifinalists for the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award which honors the nation’s Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year, the Maxwell Football Club announced today.

Kennard, a 6-5, 245-pounder from Atlanta, Ga., ranks among the nation’s leaders in both sacks (9.5) and tackles for loss (13.5). He is tied for first in the SEC and tied for fifth in the country in sacks (1.06 per game) and leads the SEC and is fifth in the nation in tackles for loss with 1.5 per game. He was named to the Sporting News midseason All-America team and was named the nation’s 14th-best player by ESPN. He was a midseason third-team All-American according to College Football Network and was named a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award.

The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed statistical and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, and several senior PFF analysts have been added to the selection committee and have participated in the process. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete football reference in the country.

Semifinalist voting will begin on Tuesday Nov.12 and will close on Nov. 23. Three finalists for each award will be announced on Nov. 26 and a finalist round of voting will take place at that time. Eligible voters include Maxwell Football Club members, NCAA head football coaches, sports information directors and selected national media. All semifinalists are listed in alphabetical order by school with the player’s school, position and class designated.

The winner of the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show which will be broadcast live on ESPN on Thursday December 12, 2024. The formal presentation of the Chuck Bednarik Award will take place at the 88th Maxwell Awards Gala which will be held on Friday March 14, 2025 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.