The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 1/1 Football trio tabbed to Chuck Bednarik Award watch list
08.11.2025 | Football
The award is presented annually to the most outstanding defensive player in college football.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 1 Texas Football's Anthony Hill Jr., Colin Simmons and Michael Taaffe were named to the preseason watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday. The Bednarik Award has been given to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995.
Texas is one of seven schools with three or more candidates on the watch list. Last season, Hill and former Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron were selected as semifinalists for the award.
In addition to the Bednarik Award watch list, Hill has been placed on preseason watch lists for the Walter Camp National Player of the Year Award, Butkus Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Lott IMPACT Trophy.
Hill, a preseason First-Team All-SEC selection, started all 16 games at linebacker last season, earning second-team All-America honors by the AFCA, Associated Press, The Sporting News and Walter Camp. The Denton, Texas, product was tabbed a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Butkus awards in 2024. Hill led UT in tackles (103), tackles for loss (16.5), and forced fumbles (4), while sitting third on the squad in sacks (8). He composed three double-digit tackling performances and was credited with 0.5-or-more tackles for loss in 11 different games. Hill received national praise following his standout performance in Texas' 34-3 win over No. 18/16 Oklahoma in the Allstate Red River Rivalry on Oct. 12. He garnered Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 15), Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week (Oct. 16) and SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week accolades (Oct. 14). Against the Sooners, Hill compiled 11 tackles (seven solo), two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one pressure in Texas' win. Hill is a third-year player who has appeared in 30 games with 22 starts.
Simmons has also been named to the preseason watch list for the Walter Camp National Player of the Year Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy in addition to earning preseason First-Team All-SEC praise. Simmons had a breakout year in his first season on the Forty Acres, emerging as a standout on an elite Texas defense and becoming the first Longhorn to be chosen the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year since the award's inception in 2018. Simmons appeared in all 16 games, leading the team with 9.0 sacks that totaled a loss of 64 yards and ranking second in tackles for loss (14.0-73), quarterback hurries (nine) and forced fumbles (three). Simmons also compiled 48 total tackles (31 solo), an interception and two pass break-ups. He led all FBS freshmen in total sacks, while his nine sacks were the third-most by a freshman in program single-season history.
A preseason First-Team All-SEC honoree, Taaffe has already been placed on preseason watch lists for the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Jim Thorpe Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy. He returns to the UT defense after garnering second-team All-America recognition from the Associated Press in 2024. An Austin, Texas native and former walk-on, Taaffe started all 16 games last season, ranking second on the team in total tackles (78), interceptions (2) and pass break-ups (10). He was the only Longhorn to record an interception and a forced fumble in the same game last season after doing so in Texas' win at No. 25/25 Vanderbilt on Oct. 26, earning the Burlsworth's Trophy National Player of the Week and the SEC's Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Taaffe forced two turnovers to go along with six tackles and a pass break-up against the Commodores. In the CFP Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl vs. Arizona State, Taaffe logged a career-high 10 tackles (six solo) and two pass break-ups to help send Texas to its second-consecutive CFP semifinal. Taaffe is a fifth-year defensive back who has played in 43 games with 26 starts.
Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award will be announced Nov. 11, 2025, while the three finalists for the Bednarik Award will be unveiled Nov. 25, 2025. The winner of the 31st Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 11, 2025. The formal presentations of the Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday, March 13, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Texas opens the 2025 season on the road at No. 2 Ohio State at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Aug. 30, inside Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The game will broadcast as part of FOX's Big Noon Kickoff, and ESPN's College GameDay will broadcast live from the Ohio State University campus. College GameDay will air for three hours from 8-11 a.m. CT, hosted by Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Pat McAffee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and other ESPN personalities. It will be the final show for longtime ESPN personality Lee Corso as he is set to retire following Week 1 of the 2025 season.
