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Paul Kasabian is the featured Columnist for December 10, 2021.
Steven Limentani/ ISI Photos
The Chuck Bednarik Award is given annually to college football's best defensive player.
The Home Depot College Football Awards were held on Thursday.
Alabama sophomore linebacker Will Anderson Jr., Oregon junior defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Notre Dame junior safety Kyle Hamilton were also named as finalist.
The winner's resume is the first one to be looked at.
Georgia's Jordan Davis.
The Davis is the anchor of the defense. Georgia has allowed only 9.5 points per game thanks to the play of Davis.
Davis can do a lot of things, including run defense, running the football, and running the school band.
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Jordan Davis has a career run defense grade of 88.6.
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1st among active SEC DTs.
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Georgia opponents have only rushed for 2.6 yards per game in part because of Davis, who can count himself as one of the bedrocks of one of college football's most dominant teams.
The 3 seed in the College Football Playoff will be the Bulldogs. They lost the SEC Championship Game to Alabama.
Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr.
Anderson leads college football with 15.5 sacks. He's made 91 tackles.
Anderson had 52 tackles and seven sacks in 2020 for the Tide.
Take a look at some of the statistics from the year that show how good Anderson has been.
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Over the last two seasons, most QB pressures. Will Anderson Jr., Bama.
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2. The picture is of Oklahoma's Nik Bonitto.
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Anderson is an unstoppable force in the Alabama defense.
Alabama has had to overcome some challenges this year, including a 41-38 loss to Texas A&M and a close game against Florida and LSU, but having Anderson on board has made them a better team.
The Oregon DE is Kayvon Thibodeaux.
He's a ferocious, game-wrecking pass-rusher and is the top option on many NFL draft boards. He had a strip sack in the season- opening win against the school.
Despite missing time because of an injury, Thibodeaux played in eight games and racked up 49 tackles and seven sacks. He left one of those games early with an injury and played limited snaps in the second game.
Oregon was able to stay in the College Football Playoff picture late in the season due to the fact that Thibodeaux is a force to be reckoned with, and he's a key reason.
Kyle Hamilton is a defensive player for Notre Dame.
Hamilton's season was limited to seven games because of a knee injury. He had 34 tackles (19 solo) and three intercepts in those battles.
Hamilton is fourth on the consensus big board of the NFL mock draft. Brian Kelly provided his own scouting report.
Notre Dame was able to stay in the College Football Playoff picture because of Hamilton'sVersatility, as the Fighting Irish looked to earn a top-four spot. They will play Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.
