Ohio State sophomore defensive lineman Joey Bosa has been named a finalist for the Bednarik Award just days after also being named a finalist for the Lombardi Award.
The Bednarik Award is given to the defensive player of the year in college football and the Lombardi Award is given to the best lineman in college football.
Bosa has accumulated 11.5 sacks on the year which is good for fifth in the nation according to CFBstats.com and best in the Big Ten. His 18 tackles for loss are also good for first in the conference.
Bosa has helped lead a Buckeye defense that has given up 330.4 total yards per game this season, good for 19th in the country. OSU is 10-1 overall and 7-0 in the Big Ten, thanks in part to a game-clinching sack by Bosa on the final play of a double-overtime win against Penn State on Oct. 25 in State College, Pa.
Clemson senior defensive lineman Vic Beasley and Arizona sophomore linebacker Scooby Wright are the other two finalists for the Bednarik Award.
OSU’s most recent major postseason award recipient was defensive back Malcolm Jenkins in 2008 when he was awarded the Thorpe Award for most outstanding defensive back.
The presentation of the Bednarik Award will be held on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.
