Ohio State Buckeyes are tied for the most players on the 2017 Bednarik Award list

The Ohio State Buckeyes’ defense this fall will have another year of multiple play-makers doing big things. Some could end up being the best defender when it is all said and done.

The yearly Bednarik Award is given to the best defender in the country and that means good news for Ohio State. The university was tied in the initial list that was provided by NFL.com for the most players on the watch list with Florida State.

Both schools had four to lead all of college football. The list will be trimmed down on October 30 and then again on November 20 before announcing the winner on December 7.

The four Ohio State players that were named are linebacker Jerome Baker, defensive end Nick Bosa, defensive end Tyquan Lewis, and cornerback Denzel Ward. Those four deserves this recognition, but I am surprised defensive end Sam Hubbard was not included.

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If the draft was held in the foreseeable future instead of next year, Lewis would likely have been a late first round pick, while the potential is there for Baker to have been a second round selection. With another great year, both of them should see those outcomes come April 2018.

As co-leader of the Bednarik Award watch list, barring a two or three loss season, how does one not like Ohio State’s chances of another player winning the award? Assuming they all stay healthy, one of them should be at least a finalist a few months from now.

Former Alabama lineman Jonathan Allen won the award last season. Since the award has been given out dating back to 1995, no Ohio State player has won the award. Eventually a Buckeye will win and given the great options for next season, this is the school’s best chance yet!

The following stats are via sportsreference.com.

Big things are expected from Baker this fall after being given a major increase in playing time last season. In 2016, he accumulated 83 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions. Bosa has his hands full making fans not calling him Joey’s brother, and during his freshman year, he did a good job at that.

Could he end up being better than his older brother? Maybe, but time will tell. Bosa finished with 29 tackles and 5 sacks. Lewis saw a decrease in tackles last season (29), but he maintained the number of sacks with 8. Meanwhile, Ward had 23 tackles and 9 pass deflections.

Next: OSU announced their 2017 HoF class

It’s almost football season and I cannot wait. Hopefully as Ohio State makes the run to another postseason appearance, some of their players are named winner of numerous awards including the Bednarik.

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