TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State placed four student-athletes, two each, on the 2015 Maxwell Award and Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watch lists as announced by the Maxwell Football Club on Tuesday morning.
FSU’s Jalen Ramsey and Terrance Smith highlight the Bednarik Award, while Dalvin Cook and Everett Golson are recognized on the Maxwell Award list.
The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. Chuck Bednarik, former standout at Penn and with the Philadelphia Eagles, is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame's Class of '69 and the NFL Hall of Fame's Class of '67. The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell, has been given to America's College Player of the Year since 1937. Maxwell's contributions to the game of football were extensive, including time as a player, a sportswriter and an official.
Ramsey, a two-year starter for the Seminoles, established himself as one of the nation’s top defensive backs following his All-America season in 2014 where he set single-season career-highs for tackles (79), TFLs (9.5), pass break-ups, interceptions (2) and sacks (3.0). He ranked second in the ACC with 12 total PBUs and fifth in passes defended per game (1.00). Ramsey posted a career-high 12 tackles against Oklahoma State in the opening game of the 2014 season inside AT&T Stadium. In his first two seasons at Florida State, Ramsey has registered 128 tackles (82 solo) including 11.5 tackles for loss, while tallying 13 pass break-ups, four sacks and three interceptions.
Smith returns for his redshirt senior season as the veteran leader on the Seminole defense who finished third on the team with 87 tackles last year. The Decatur, Ga., native ranked eighth in the ACC with 8.7 tackles per game in conference-only games en route to earning All-ACC second team accolades. Smith tallied a career-high 13 tackles in FSU’s overtime victory over Clemson and his 94-yard interception return for a touchdown against Florida helped turn the momentum in favor of the Noles. He was named the Bednarik National Defensive Player of the Week after collecting 11 tackles, two for loss, and a forced fumble in a win over Notre Dame.
Cook put together the finest season by a freshman running back in Florida State history, setting an FSU freshman record with 1,008 yards and eight rushing scores on just 170 carries (5.9 ypc) last year. He became the first Seminole freshman to reach the 1,000-yard plateau and just the ninth player ever. Cook finished 2014 ranked fifth in the ACC in total rushing yards, rushing yards per game (77.5) and yards per carry (5.9) on his way to All-ACC second team (media) and third team (coaches) honors. The Miami, Fla., native posted five 100-yard rushing contests including a season-high 177 yards and a touchdown en route to MVP honors in the ACC Championship Game against Georgia Tech. Cook finished the year with 103 rushing yards on 15 carries against Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
Golson comes to Florida State as a graduate student after spending four seasons at Notre Dame which included a redshirt campaign in 2011. Golson, who will vie for the starting quarterback job at FSU, started 23 games at quarterback for the Irish over two seasons leading Notre Dame to the BCS National Championship Game against Alabama in 2012. The Myrtle Beach, S.C., native threw for more than 5,800 yards with 41 touchdowns at Notre Dame while completing 59.5 percent of his pass attempts. Last year, Golson threw for 3,445 yards becoming just the fourth quarterback in Notre Dame history to eclipse 3,000 passing yards in a single-season. He was also responsible for 37 total touchdowns (29 passing and eight rushing). Golson was a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award in 2014.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced November 2, 2015, while the three finalists for each award will be unveiled November 23, 2015. The winners of the 2015 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 10, 2015. The formal presentations of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on March 11, 2015.
The Maxwell Football Club is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 22 awards boast over 700 years of tradition selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about our story.
Beginning in 2015, The Home Depot College Football Awards will have a new home at the College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience in downtown Atlanta. Airing live on ESPN on December 10, 2015, college football’s brightest stars will be honored for their performance on and off the field.
Courtesy Seminole Athletics
