Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
Jordan Named to 2023 Bednarik Watch List
8.14.23 | Football
PHILADELPHIA — The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 29th Chuck Bednarik Award presented annually to the most outstanding defensive player in college football. Temple graduate linebacker Layton Jordan is one of 85 players to make the initial list.
Jordan broke onto the scene during the 2022 season, earning second team All-AAC in his first year as a starter for Temple. He finished top five on the team in tackles (53) and led the Owls in sacks (9.0), tackles for loss (18.5), interceptions (2), forced fumbles (3), and a program-record three defensive touchdowns.
Jordan was one of just two players in college football to record 2.0 sacks and one defensive touchdown in the same game (vs. Tulsa, 10/21). He joined the ranks of Ndamukong Suh (2008) and Melvin Ingram (2011) as the only College Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players to total three TDs, two INTs, 5.0 sacks and 10.0 TFLs in one season.
Joining Jordan on the watch list from the American Athletic Conference are Jarius Monroe (Tulane), Patrick Jenkins (Tulane), Fish McWilliams (UAB), and Rashad Wisdom (UTSA).
The Bednarik Award watch list will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of FBS programs and conferences from coast to coast, led by five returning 2022 semifinalists: Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama), Tyler Davis (Clemson), Jer'Zhan Newton (Illinois), Tommy Eichenberg (Ohio State) and Jason Henderson (Old Dominion).
The Bednarik Award is presented in honor of Chuck "Concrete Charlie" Bednarik, a prolific All-American football player for the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Eagles. Following his career, Bednarik was enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. The award has been given to the top defensive player in college football since 1994.
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.
ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB – The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of corporate partners, Montage Mountain Resorts, the Buccini Polin Group, the ETC Foundation and the Run Around Inc. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.
Jordan broke onto the scene during the 2022 season, earning second team All-AAC in his first year as a starter for Temple. He finished top five on the team in tackles (53) and led the Owls in sacks (9.0), tackles for loss (18.5), interceptions (2), forced fumbles (3), and a program-record three defensive touchdowns.
Jordan was one of just two players in college football to record 2.0 sacks and one defensive touchdown in the same game (vs. Tulsa, 10/21). He joined the ranks of Ndamukong Suh (2008) and Melvin Ingram (2011) as the only College Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players to total three TDs, two INTs, 5.0 sacks and 10.0 TFLs in one season.
Joining Jordan on the watch list from the American Athletic Conference are Jarius Monroe (Tulane), Patrick Jenkins (Tulane), Fish McWilliams (UAB), and Rashad Wisdom (UTSA).
The Bednarik Award watch list will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of FBS programs and conferences from coast to coast, led by five returning 2022 semifinalists: Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama), Tyler Davis (Clemson), Jer'Zhan Newton (Illinois), Tommy Eichenberg (Ohio State) and Jason Henderson (Old Dominion).
The Bednarik Award is presented in honor of Chuck "Concrete Charlie" Bednarik, a prolific All-American football player for the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Eagles. Following his career, Bednarik was enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. The award has been given to the top defensive player in college football since 1994.
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.
ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB – The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of corporate partners, Montage Mountain Resorts, the Buccini Polin Group, the ETC Foundation and the Run Around Inc. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.
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