Florida football’s junior linebacker Myles Graham was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watchlist on Friday by the Maxwell Football Club.
This is the third preseason watch list Graham has been listed on, also being included on the Butkus Award and the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy preseason watch lists. In addition, the Gainesville, Florida, native was named to the 2027 Senior Bowl Top 300 list and the East-West Bowl 1000 list, and has been nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works team.
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The son of former Gators star running back Earnest Graham appeared in all 13 games in 2024, tallying 30 tackles (nine solo), one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble and one quarterback hurry en route to Freshman All-SEC honors. During his sophomore campaign, he led the Gators with 76 tackles (36 solo), becoming the first Florida linebacker to lead the team in tackles since 2021, while adding eight QB hurries, seven tackles-for-loss and two sacks.
Graham was one of four players in the SEC to post 75-plus tackles and seven-plus tackles-for-loss in the 2025 regular season, and also recorded four pass breakups, tying him for the second most among FBS linebackers.
About the Chuck Bednarik Award
The Bednarik Award 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.
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The award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994.
The semifinalist will be announced Nov. 10, with the three finalists announced on Nov. 24. The winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida’s Myles Graham on Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watchlist
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