D.J. James has been placed on the Bednarik Award Watchlist

As the 2023 football season approaches all the various individual and team award watchlists are being made public. Auburn players have been garnering loads of well-deserved attention on this front. One such player is senior starting cornerback D.J. James.

Could he be the first Auburn player to bring home the coveted Chuck Bednarik award for best defensive player this year?

The Bednarik award is named for Chuck Bednarik a NCAA and NFL Hall of Famer who was one of the last NFL players to play both offense and defense full time. “Concrete Charlie” played for the University of Pennsylvania during his collegiate career and then for the Philadelphia Eagles during his NFL career. His accolades on the gridiron acts as the foundation for what the head coaches and members of the Maxwell Club look for when naming a winner of this coveted defensive honor.

Auburn’s D.J. James has made the watchlist this year for this coveted piece of hardware and is looking to be the programs first winner since its inception in 1994. After transferring to Auburn from Oregon, James played his first season on the plains last year. During this season James played in 12 games and put up 37 total tackles on the year, 25 of which were solo. He also accounted for 1-interception which produced him a touchdown.

Looking to capitalize on his previous seasons success and move to produce even better numbers this 2023 season under Defensive Coordinator Ron Roberts new scheme, D.J. James could very well succeed in bringing the Bednarik award home.

The semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced on Nov. 13, 2023, while the three finalists for the Bednarik Award will be revealed on Nov. 28, 2023. The winners of the 29th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 7, 2023.

D.J. James has plenty of work ahead of him to prove he is worthy of such an award, and I am certain he is ready to put his best foot forward to accomplish this task.