Daniel Wingate Named to 2026 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List
8/20/2026 2:58:00 PM | Football
PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Maryland senior linebacker Daniel Wingate has been named to the 2026 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, announced by The Maxwell Football Club on Friday. The award recognizes the top defensive player in college football.
Wingate has already been selected for the Butkus Award and Bronko Naguski Trophy Watch list earlier this preseason.
An Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection in 2025, Wingate turned in one of the most productive defensive seasons in recent Maryland history. He led the Terrapins and ranked sixth in the Big Ten with 102 total tackles, becoming the first Terp to record 100 or more tackles in a season since Tre Watson's All-America campaign in 2018.
A consistent force in the middle of Maryland's defense, Wingate ranked second in the Big Ten and tied for seventh nationally with 62 solo tackles. He also totaled 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception and two quarterback hurries. Wingate posted five double-digit tackle performances, including a career-high 14 tackles against NIU.
A St. Vincent Pallotti graduate, Wingate enters the 2026 season with a team-best 24 consecutive starts among returning defensive players.
Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced November 10, 2026, while the three finalists for the will be unveiled November 24, 2026. The winner of the 32nd Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 10, 2026. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Saturday March 13, 2027, at the Coca Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Georgia.
