Alabama lineman Quinnen Williams, Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen named finalists for Bednarik Award

Two SEC stars are vying for the honor of top defensive player in the country.

Quinnen Williams of the Alabama Crimson Tide and Josh Allen of the Kentucky Wildcats are two of the three finalists for the 2018 Chuck Bednarik Award. Williams and Allen join Clemson Tigers lineman Christian Wilkins as the three top choices for the award.

A redshirt sophomore, Quinnen has been dominant in nearly every facet. He has picked up six sacks, 15 TFL and 55 total tackles this year. 34 of those 55 have been solo tackles, so you can see that he’s been a force. Allen, meanwhile, has been dominant in his own right. He has 13 sacks on the season and 17.5 TFL. He’s picked up 40 total tackles, four passes defended, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Perhaps the only surprise here is who was left off the list. Grant Delpit of the LSU Tigers was certainly worthy of the honor of being a finalist for the award. Delpit is one of the best DBs in the country, of course, but he finds himself on the outside looking in.