Tulane’s Jarius Monroe and Patrick Jenkins named to 2023 Bednarik Preseason Award Watch List

Maxwell Football Club

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Tulane cornerback Jarius Monroe and defensive lineman Patrick Jenkins have been named to the 2023 Chuck Bednarik Preseason Watch List, the Maxwell Football Club announced on 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 a multiple year 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.

The full list consists of 85 of the best defensive players in the country. Monroe and Jenkins are two of four players from AAC named to the watch list this season. Tulane is one of top schools with multiple players on the list.

Monroe was First Team All-AAC last season. He led the team and ranked 10th in the conference in interceptions. He placed sixth overall on the squad with his 49 tackles while playing in 14 games with six starts. He also intercepted 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.

Jenkins was a First Team All-AAC selection last season. He led the team with his nine stops for loss. Jenkins totaled 39 overall tackles, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. He also had arguable the biggest defensive play in the Cotton Bowl victory with a safety.

Earlier in the summer, Tulane was voted as the preseason favorite in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in the annual media poll. The program also has preseason candidates for the Rimington Trophy (Sincere Haynesworth), the Paul Hornung Award (Jha’Quan Jackson), the Wuerffel Trophy (Michael Pratt), the Patrick Mannelly Award (Ethan Hudak), the Maxwell Award (Michael Pratt), the Outland Trophy (Haynesworth and Prince Pines), the Bronko Nagurski Award (Darius Hodges and Monroe), the Davey O’Brien Award (Pratt), the Jim Thorpe Award (Monroe) and the Walter Camp Award (Pratt). The program also was voted No. 23 nationally in the USA TODAY SPORTS / AFCA Preseason Coaches Poll.

This season, Tulane brings back four of the team’s five starters on the offensive line (Sincere Haynesworth, Prince Pines, Josh Remetich, Rashad Green), two of the team’s top three rushers (Michael Pratt and Shaadie Clayton-Johnson), the starting quarterback (Pratt), two of the top four receivers (Jha’Quan Jackson and Lawrence Keys III), the team’s punter (Casey Glover), the team’s kicker (Valentino Ambrosio), the team’s leader in interceptions (Monroe) and three of the five leading defensive players in tackles for loss (Jenkins, Darius Hodges and Keith Cooper Jr.).

In 2022, Tulane’s football team completed an unprecedented 12-2 campaign, culminating with an American Athletic Conference title and a 46-45 win over USC in the Cotton Bowl. At season’s end, the Green Wave finished with a ninth overall ranking, the second-highest in program history. Tulane opens the 2023 season at Yulman Stadium hosting South Alabama on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.

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2023 Chuck Bednarik Watch List

The Chuck Bednarik Award has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine.

Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced November 13, 2023, while the three finalists for the Bednarik Award will be unveiled November 28, 2023. The winners of the 29th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 7, 2023. The formal presentations of the Chuck Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards in March 2024.