Josh Allen keeps racking in the accolades

LEXINGTON, Ky. (UK Athletics) – University of Kentucky senior linebacker Josh Allen has been named one of three finalists for the 24th Chuck Bednarik Award for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year.

The winner will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show, which airs on Thursday, Dec. 6, live on ESPN. The formal presentations of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on Friday, March 8, 2019.

Allen, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound linebacker from Montclair, New Jersey, has been a terror on defense the entire season as he leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks third nationally in sacks (13.0) and leads the league and ranks 11th nationally in tackles for loss (17.5). He also ranks second nationally in forced fumbles (five).

Interesting Allen notes:

Broke Kentucky single-season and career records for sacks
First-Team Mid-Season All-America by The Associated Press, ESPN.com, Pro Football Focus and The Athletic
Four times SEC Defensive Player of the Week this season, including two wins he clinched with a sack, fumble, and UK recovery on the final possession
Leads UK with 80 total tackles and has five QB hurries, four pass breakups and two fumble recoveries this season
Helped lead UK to its best regular-season record in 34 years and first winning SEC record in 41 years
Also a finalist for the Butka’s Award for the nation’s top linebacker and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as National Defensive Player of the Year
Current semifinalist for the Walter Camp National Player of the Year and a quarterfinalist for the Lott Trophy as National Defensive Player of the Year

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 other finalists for the award are are Quinnen Williams (Alabama) and Christian Wilkins (Clemson.)

Allen has also been named a finalist for the 34th annual Butkus Award which honors the best linebacker in America, it was announced today by the Butkus Foundation.

The winner will be announced on or before December 6. Selection is handled by a panel of 51 coaches, recruiters, scouts and journalists who vote separately and confidentially using a 3-2-1 process, with write-ins allowed. Selectors and selection criteria are posted at www.thebutkusaward.com.

The other finalists are Devin Bush, Michigan; Tre Lamar, Clemson; Dylan Moses, Alabama; Devin White, LSU.

The Butkus Award® is presented by the Butkus Foundation, a non-profit 501c3 organization which advances health and wellness through special initiatives. This includes the I Play Clean® program which encourages athletes to play using their natural ability and avoid the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs. Each candidate named has provided a written confirmation that they play clean.

The Butkus Award is part of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which includes 23 awards honoring 800 individuals since 1935.

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