Tennessee landed a pair of defenders on the 32nd Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List on Friday, with linebacker Amare Campbell and defensive back Ty Redmond both earning spots on the Maxwell Football Club’s preseason board.
Campbell arrives in Knoxville with a resume that already reads like that of a veteran difference-maker. He has started 27 of 37 career games and piled up 193 tackles, including 120 solo stops. He has also logged 22 tackles for loss for 98 yards, 10.5 sacks, three pass breakups, one interception, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble across his college career.
In 2025, Campbell was one of the Big Ten’s most productive defenders before transferring to Tennessee and reuniting with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. That production helped set the stage for his place among the early names to know in the Bednarik race.
Redmond is back for his sophomore season after a breakout freshman year that quickly put him on the SEC radar. The cornerback was a Freshman All-America selection, played in all 13 games last season and started 12 of them. He finished with 43 tackles, including 25 solo stops, one tackle for loss, three interceptions and 12 pass breakups.
He enters 2026 with some eye-catching numbers attached to his name: the SEC’s top returning defender in passes defended with 15, the conference leader among returning players in pass breakups with 12, and the league’s highest returning cornerback PFF coverage grade at 81.6.
The Bednarik Award has recognized the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994 and honors Chuck "Concrete Charlie" Bednarik, the University of Pennsylvania All-American who went on to become a multiple-year All-Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles. Bednarik is in 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.
The award timeline is already set. Semifinalists will be announced November 10, 2026, followed by the three finalists on November 24, 2026. The winner of the 32nd Chuck Bednarik Award will be revealed during the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 10, 2026, with the formal Maxwell Award presentations scheduled for March 13, 2027, at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Georgia.
Campbell and Redmond were part of a long list of Tennessee preseason honors released Friday. Among the other Vols drawing attention: DeSean Bishop on the Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List and Maxwell Award Watch List; Bennett Brady on the Mannelly Award Watch List; Arion Carter on the Butkus Award Watch List and Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List; Ethan Davis on the John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List; Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List; Cooper Ranvier on the Lou Groza Award Watch List; Jackson Ross on the Ray Guy Award Watch List; and Edwin Spillman on the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and AFCA Allstate Good Works Team Nominee.
Head coach Josh Heupel also appeared on the Dodd Trophy Watch List, while Wendell Moe Jr. collected a strong bundle of preseason recognition, including spots on the Lombardi Award Watch List and Outland Trophy Watch List along with multiple All-America and All-SEC honors.
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Faizon Brandon also flashed the running ability that can add another layer to Tennessees offense, but the job still appears unsettled at right tackle. Ory Williams and Jesse Perry remain locked in a competition there, and it is the sort of battle that can quietly shape how smooth everything else looks once the season starts. For now, the Vols have a few encouraging signs and at least one starting-caliber decision still waiting to be made. [Read more 🡒]