University of North Texas Athletics
Photo by: Manny Flores
Davis Named to Bednarik, Lombardi Award Watch Lists
8/1/2022 9:03:00 AM | Football
Rodriguez earns second career Guy list selection
North Texas senior linebacker KD Davis (Ennis, Texas) was named on Monday to the watch lists for the 2022 Chuck Bednarik Award and the 2022 Rotary Lombardi Award.
The Bednarik Award is presented annually by the Maxwell Football Club, in partnership with Pro Football Focus, XOS and Phil Steele Publications, to the nation's best defensive player. From the watch list of 90 players, semifinalists will be announced on Nov. 1, and three finalists will be announced on Nov. 22. The award will be presented on Dec. 8, as part of ESPN's annual Home Depot College Football Awards Show.
The Lombardi Award is presented to the nation's best lineman - offensive or defensive - and also includes linebackers who set up no further than five yards from the line of scrimmage and not only have outstanding ability and past performance but also exemplify the character and discipline of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi. There are 77 players on the list, and that will be narrowed down to semifinalists on Nov. 10 and four finalists on Nov. 23. The winner will be announced on Dec. 7.
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 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.Â
Davis has led the Mean Green in total tackles for the past three seasons - the first UNT player to accomplish that feat since Zach Orr (2011-13) - and had 121 stops in 2021. He had 18 tackles in a win over Rice last season, marking the most tackles for a UNT player since at least 2000. Last season, Davis earned first-team All-Conference USA honors to go with second-team All-Texas College honors by Dave Campbell's Texas Football. He enters the 2022 season as a fourth-team selection to the Phil Steele Preseason All-American team looking to become the first player in program history to lead the team in tackles in four straight seasons.
Additionally, punter Bernardo Rodriguez was named last week to the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, presented annually to the nation's best punter. Rodriguez averaged 43.9 yards per punt last year - the best average for a Mean Green punter in six seasons. He finished the 2021 season with  16 punts of 50 or more yards, including a career-long of 70 yards. He was also named to the AP All-Bowl Team.
A 2020 Honorable Mention All-CUSA pick, Rodriguez was previously nominated for the Guy Award Watch List in 2021.Â
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The Bednarik Award is presented annually by the Maxwell Football Club, in partnership with Pro Football Focus, XOS and Phil Steele Publications, to the nation's best defensive player. From the watch list of 90 players, semifinalists will be announced on Nov. 1, and three finalists will be announced on Nov. 22. The award will be presented on Dec. 8, as part of ESPN's annual Home Depot College Football Awards Show.
The Lombardi Award is presented to the nation's best lineman - offensive or defensive - and also includes linebackers who set up no further than five yards from the line of scrimmage and not only have outstanding ability and past performance but also exemplify the character and discipline of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi. There are 77 players on the list, and that will be narrowed down to semifinalists on Nov. 10 and four finalists on Nov. 23. The winner will be announced on Dec. 7.
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 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.Â
Davis has led the Mean Green in total tackles for the past three seasons - the first UNT player to accomplish that feat since Zach Orr (2011-13) - and had 121 stops in 2021. He had 18 tackles in a win over Rice last season, marking the most tackles for a UNT player since at least 2000. Last season, Davis earned first-team All-Conference USA honors to go with second-team All-Texas College honors by Dave Campbell's Texas Football. He enters the 2022 season as a fourth-team selection to the Phil Steele Preseason All-American team looking to become the first player in program history to lead the team in tackles in four straight seasons.
Additionally, punter Bernardo Rodriguez was named last week to the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, presented annually to the nation's best punter. Rodriguez averaged 43.9 yards per punt last year - the best average for a Mean Green punter in six seasons. He finished the 2021 season with  16 punts of 50 or more yards, including a career-long of 70 yards. He was also named to the AP All-Bowl Team.
A 2020 Honorable Mention All-CUSA pick, Rodriguez was previously nominated for the Guy Award Watch List in 2021.Â
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