The announcements of Tigers finding their way on to watch lists continued on Friday. Princewill Umanmielen, Whit Weeks, and DJ Pickett were each named to the Bednarik Award preseason watch list.
The Chuck Bednarik Award is given annually to college football's best defensive player. The honor is presented by the Maxwell Football Club, the same club that bestows the Maxwell Award to the top overall college football player. Both are two of the most distinguished honors in the sport.
Named after Chuck Bednarik, a former All-American at the University of Pennsylvania and Pro Football Hall of Famer, the award is chosen by a wide variety of voters including NCAA head coaches, sports writers, sports casters, and the members of the Maxwell Football Club. It was established in 1995 and was won most recently by linebacker Jacob Rodriguez from Texas Tech.
Only two players in LSU's program history have earned the honor and they came in back-to-back years. Patrick Peterson won it in 2010, followed by Tyrann Mathieu in 2011.
Princewill Umanmielen came over with Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss and is poised to give Blake Baker a legitimate pass rusher, which they were missing a year ago. The senior defensive end was #3 in the SEC in 2025 with 9.0 sacks. The last time LSU had a player record at least 9.0 sacks was 10 years ago when Arden Key set the program's single-season record with 12.0. Umanmielen is also a force against rushing attacks, finishing #8 in the conference with 13.0 tackles for loss. He was a Third-Team All-SEC selection last year and has already been named to the Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team.
#Football #club
The Chuck Bednarik Award is given annually to college football's best defensive player. The honor is presented by the Maxwell Football Club, the same club that bestows the Maxwell Award to the top overall college football player. Both are two of the most distinguished honors in the sport.
Named after Chuck Bednarik, a former All-American at the University of Pennsylvania and Pro Football Hall of Famer, the award is chosen by a wide variety of voters including NCAA head coaches, sports writers, sports casters, and the members of the Maxwell Football Club. It was established in 1995 and was won most recently by linebacker Jacob Rodriguez from Texas Tech.
Only two players in LSU's program history have earned the honor and they came in back-to-back years. Patrick Peterson won it in 2010, followed by Tyrann Mathieu in 2011.
Princewill Umanmielen came over with Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss and is poised to give Blake Baker a legitimate pass rusher, which they were missing a year ago. The senior defensive end was #3 in the SEC in 2025 with 9.0 sacks. The last time LSU had a player record at least 9.0 sacks was 10 years ago when Arden Key set the program's single-season record with 12.0. Umanmielen is also a force against rushing attacks, finishing #8 in the conference with 13.0 tackles for loss. He was a Third-Team All-SEC selection last year and has already been named to the Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team.
#Football #club
7 days ago
