Bednarik Player of the Week
DE - Mikail Kamara, Indiana
Indiana defensive lineman Mikail Kamara has been selected as the Bednarik Award Player of the Week for his remarkable performance against Michigan State. Kamara was a disruptive force, leading the Hoosiers’ defense with a relentless effort that played a key role in their massive victory in East Lansing. Kamara’s stat line against Michigan State was nothing short of impressive: he tallied 7 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks, consistently pushing back the Spartans’ offensive line. His presence in the backfield was further highlighted by a quarterback hurry, which kept Michigan State’s offense on edge throughout the game. His ability to control the line of scrimmage and create pressure exemplifies the tenacity and skill that set him apart as one of the top defensive players in college football this week—earning himself the nod as the Bednarik Player of the Week.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best defensive player with the Chuck Bednarik Award.
photo from cuffs.com
Maxwell Football Club announcedColorado defensive back Travis Hunter the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award as the Collegiate Defensive Player of the Year.
Hunter embodies all phases of the award as a first-team Academic All-American last year with a 4.0 semester and above a 3.7 overall grade point average. When he was injured due to a late hit his junior season, he embraced the player the following week on his social media channels, curbing threats the player was receiving.
The first true two-way star in a generation, Hunter has played 1,360 snaps on offense and defense this season and leads the Power 4 in receiving touchdowns (14), is second in receptions (92) and yards (1,152). On defense, he has been targeted 39 times, third fewest in the P4 and has given up an FBS leading six first downs (for players with 300 or more snaps). He also has 15 passes defended (four interceptions, 11 pass breakups), tied for third in the P4 despite only having 39 targets, and his four interceptions is tied for fifth among P4 players.
He has caught 92 passes and allowed just 22 receptions, caught 14 touchdowns and allowed just one and has 53 first downs on offense and given up just six.
More specific to defense on the field, he had the sixth-best PFF grade for coverage, the seventh best as a cornerback for overall defense and the third best cornerback for run defense, fueled by a walk-off forced fumble in overtime against Baylor
