The Sports Inquirer

Release from the ACC:

The Atlantic Coast Conference had 15 players tabbed for the Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watch list the Maxwell Club announced Tuesday. The Bednarik Award is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate defensive football player.

In all, the league had 30 players chosen for the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards preseason watch lists.

A total of 90 players were named to the Bednarik Award preseason watch list. Clemson led all ACC teams with three selections in LB Ben Boulware, CB Cordrea Tankersley and DT Carlos Watkins.

Florida State, with S Derwin James and DE DeMarcus Walker, Louisville with LBs Devonte Fields and Keith Kelsey, and Pitt with DE Ejuan Price and S Jordan Whitehead, each had two players chosen.

Nine ACC schools had at least one player chosen for the Bednarik Award preseason watch list, and 12 of the 14 ACC programs had at least one person named to either the Bednarik or Maxwell Award watch lists.

The last player from an ACC school to win the Bednarik Award was Pitt DT Aaron Donald in 2013.

The ACC Players chosen for the 2016 preseason Bednarik Award preseason watch list are:

Name                                 School               Pos.   Ht.    Wt.       Cl.        Hometown

Quin Blanding                     Virginia                S       6-4    215        Jr.        Virginia Beach, Va.

Ben Boulware                     Clemson               LB     5-11  240        Sr.        Anderson, S.C.

Bradley Chubb                    NC State               DE     6-4    273        Jr.        Powder Springs, Ga.

Chuck Clark                        Virginia Tech       FS      6-1    204        Sr.        Suffolk, Va.

DeVon Edwards                  Duke                    CB     5-9    180        Sr.-R    Covington, Ga.

Devonte Fields                    Louisville              LB     6-4    245        Sr.        Ft. Worth, Texas

Derwin James                     Florida State        S       6-3    213        So.       Haines City, Fla.

Keith Kelsey                        Louisville            LB       6-1    236        Sr.        Gainesville, Fla.

Micah Kiser                        Virginia              LB       6-2    245        Jr.-R     Baltimore, Md.

Matt Milano                       Boston College   LB       6-1    218        Sr.        Orlando, Fla.

Ejuan Price                         Pitt                      DE      6-0    250        Sr.-R    Rankin, Pa.

Cordrea Tankersley            Clemson             CB      6-1    195        Sr.        Beech Island, S.C.

DeMarcus Walker              Florida State       DE      6-3    273        Sr.        Jacksonville, Fla.

Carlos Watkins                   Clemson             DT      6-3    300        Sr.-R    Mooresboro, N.C.

Jordan Whitehead              Pitt                      S         5-11  185        So.       Aliquippa, Pa.