TCU Football: Newton Named To 2023 Bednarik Award Watch List

TCU football cornerback Josh Newton continues to add to his preseason accolades. On Monday, he was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List. This award is presented yearly to the nation's best defensive player in college football.

Newton has also been named to the watch lists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, and Wuerffel Trophy while nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

The Chuck Bednarik Award has been given annually since 1995. It is presented by the Maxwell Football Club and is named after Chuck Bednarik, a two-time NFL champion and ten-time All-Pro linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1949-1962. He was the last player in NFL history to play both ways of the ball full-time. He played his college football at Penn and was then drafted in the first round of the 1949 NFL Draft.

Last year's award went to Will Anderson Jr of Alabama. Other Big 12 players on this year's watch list include Cobee Bryant (Kansas), Aubrey Burks (West Virginia), Ben Bywater (BYU), Dontay Corleone (Cincinnati), Ethan Downs (Oklahoma), Jaylan Ford (Texas), Jaylon Hutchings (Texas Tech), Jason Johnson (UCF), Collin Oliver (Oklahoma State), Kobe Savage (Kansas State), and TJ Tampa (Iowa State).

A total of 85 defensive players were named to this year's preseason watch list. For the complete watch list, click here.

Newton was First-Team All-Big 12 in his first season as a Horned Frog in 2022, playing a pivotal role as TCU reached the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Pro Football Focus rated Newton's 81.9 grade as the best among TCU cornerbacks last season. PFF also had him fourth among Power Five cornerbacks with a 35.3 percent completion rate allowed and as the third-most valuable returning Power Five corner, per its wins above average metric.

Starting all 15 games, Newton ranked second on TCU and in the Big 12 with 12 pass breakups, trailing only teammate Hodges-Tomlinson (15). Newton tied for second on the Horned Frogs with three interceptions, including one returned 57 yards for a touchdown in a win over Iowa State. He totaled 35 stops on the year, including a tackle for loss at Colorado on the season's opening play and his first snap as a Horned Frog.

Newton's 47 career starts tie for the most among active players in college football.