Bolden One to Watch for Bednarik Award

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — University of Miami safety Bubba Bolden was among those players selected to the preseason watch list for the 2021 Chuck Bednarik Award honoring college football’s top defensive player, it was announced Monday.

A second-team All-ACC selection and Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist a season ago, Bolden led the Hurricanes with a team-high 74 total tackles in 2020.

Bolden finished with 6.5 tackles for loss and a sack to go along with one interception, three pass breakups and a team-best four forced fumbles. Bolden was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week twice during 2020, including after a standout performance against Clemson where he finished with 10 tackles, a forced fumble and two blocked field goals.

The preseason recognition is the first for Bolden, who joins quarterback D’Eriq King (Maxwell Award) as a preseason honoree.

The Chuck Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995 and is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik, a former standout at the University of Pennsylvania and with the Philadelphia Eagles. Bednarik is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of ’69 and the NFL Hall of Fame’s Class of ’67.