Notre Dame Football: Wimbush, Coney and Tillery Make Watch Lists

Three Notre Dame football players landed on some pretty prestigious watch lists on Monday.

The preseason watch lists for both the Maxwell Award and the Bednarik award were released on Monday. Three Notre Dame football players were on them.

Quarterback Brandon Wimbush landed on the Maxwell Award watch list.

The Maxwell Award is is presented annually to the “best all-around” college football player in the United States. It is decided by a panel of sportscasters, writers, NCAA coaches and members of the Maxwell Football Club.

Wimbush being on the list should come as no surprise. The starting Notre Dame quarterback led the Irish to ten wins a season ago on the back of 30 all-purpose touchdowns. He’ll be the focal point of the Notre Dame offense and the catalyst of any success the Irish offense has in 2018.

Jerry Tillery and Te’von Coney both landed on the Bednarik Award Watch list.

The Bednarik Award is presented annually to the best defensive football player in the United States. Like the Maxwell, the Bednarik is decided by media members, NCAA coaches and members of the Maxwell Football Club.

Tilley makes the list on the back of a solid season that saw him log 4.5 sacks and force a fumble. He was the focal point of the Notre Dame defensive line in 2017 and a huge reason for Irish success on that side of the ball.

Coney logged 116 tackles and three sacks in 2017. There’s no reason he shouldn’t repeat those numbers during the 2018 campaign.

Next: Are The Irish Serious Contenders?

We’ll have more watch list updates as the respective awards release them in the coming weeks.