Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics
Lee, York Earn Spots on Chuck Bednarik Award Preseason Watch List
Aug 11, 2025 | Football
PHILADELPHIA – Texas A&M's Will Lee III and Taurean York have been named to the Chuck Bednarik Award Preseason Watch List, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday. The award is given annually to the nation's college defensive player of the year.
Lee returns as one of the country's top defensive backs after earning All-SEC Second Team honors last season. He ranked fifth in the conference with 10 pass breakups and finished top-five on the team with 42 tackles. Lee posted at least one breakup in six games, highlighted by a career-best four against Arkansas. He was one of only two SEC players last year to record four-or-more breakups in a single game.
The St. Louis, Missouri, native tallied five-or-more tackles in four contests, including a career-high nine in the season opener against Notre Dame. He picked off two passes on the season, one of which he returned 93 yards for his first career touchdown in the regular-season finale against Texas. Lee has also been named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List and All-SEC Second Team prior to his senior season.
York, a two-time team captain, led the Aggies with 82 tackles last season and ranked second on the team with 9.5 tackles for loss. The Temple, Texas, native was top-12 in the SEC in tackles and seventh in the league among linebackers in tackles-for-loss. He also registered a team-best 85.7 tackling grade according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) and missed just six tackles in nearly 700 defensive snaps last year for an impressive 7.4 missed tackle rate. York tallied a career-high 12 tackles in the Aggies' road win over Mississippi State and closed the regular season with back-to-back double-digit performances tallying 10 takedowns at Auburn and at home against Texas. The junior was named a Walter Camp Preseason All-American and has been named to the Lott Impact Trophy watch list and Butkus Award Preseason Watch List. He also garnered Preseason All-SEC Third Team accolades.
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 player 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.
Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced Nov. 11, while the three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 25. The winners of the 31st Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 11. The formal presentations of the Chuck Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday, March 13, 2026, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
Lee returns as one of the country's top defensive backs after earning All-SEC Second Team honors last season. He ranked fifth in the conference with 10 pass breakups and finished top-five on the team with 42 tackles. Lee posted at least one breakup in six games, highlighted by a career-best four against Arkansas. He was one of only two SEC players last year to record four-or-more breakups in a single game.
The St. Louis, Missouri, native tallied five-or-more tackles in four contests, including a career-high nine in the season opener against Notre Dame. He picked off two passes on the season, one of which he returned 93 yards for his first career touchdown in the regular-season finale against Texas. Lee has also been named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List and All-SEC Second Team prior to his senior season.
York, a two-time team captain, led the Aggies with 82 tackles last season and ranked second on the team with 9.5 tackles for loss. The Temple, Texas, native was top-12 in the SEC in tackles and seventh in the league among linebackers in tackles-for-loss. He also registered a team-best 85.7 tackling grade according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) and missed just six tackles in nearly 700 defensive snaps last year for an impressive 7.4 missed tackle rate. York tallied a career-high 12 tackles in the Aggies' road win over Mississippi State and closed the regular season with back-to-back double-digit performances tallying 10 takedowns at Auburn and at home against Texas. The junior was named a Walter Camp Preseason All-American and has been named to the Lott Impact Trophy watch list and Butkus Award Preseason Watch List. He also garnered Preseason All-SEC Third Team accolades.
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 player 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.
Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced Nov. 11, while the three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 25. The winners of the 31st Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 11. The formal presentations of the Chuck Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday, March 13, 2026, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
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