STARKVILLE – Mississippi State junior cornerback Emmanuel Forbes has been named to the watch list for the 28th Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football.

 

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.

 

In 2021, Forbes started all 13 games for the Bulldogs and totaled 60 tackles on the season, including 46 solo stops. He tallied 5.0 tackles for loss with one sack and led the team with three interceptions returned for a total of 33 yards. As a sophomore, Forbes led the State defense with five pass breakups while he also forced one fumble on the campaign.

 

The Bednarik Award watch list will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast, led by Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) who is the lone returning finalist from 2021, as the majority of this year’s candidate group features fresh faces. The full list consists of 90 players across college football.

 

Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced Nov. 1, 2022, while the three finalists for the Bednarik Award will be unveiled Nov. 22, 2022. The winners of the 28th Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 8, 2022. The formal presentations of the award will be made at the 86th Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala live from Atlantic City, N.J., on March 10, 2023.

 

Mississippi State is set to begin the 2022 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 3, when the Bulldogs host the Memphis Tigers in a 6:30 p.m. game at Davis Wade Stadium. Season tickets are on sale now at HailState.com/tickets, by calling 1-888-GO-DAWGS or in person at the MSU Athletic Ticket Office on the first floor of the Bryan Athletic Administration Building (288 Lakeview Drive).

 

For more information on the Bulldog football program, visit HailState.com, or search for “HailStateFB” on Twitter, Instagramand Facebook.