BERKELEY – Senior inside linebacker Evan Weaver was named to the preseason watch list for the 25th annual Chuck Bednarik Award on Monday. The honor has been given to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995 in honor of the late Bednarik, a former standout at Penn and with the Philadelphia Eagles who is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The honor is the latest for Weaver during a 2019 preseason, highlighted by his first-team preseason All-American selection by Athlon. Weaver, who is the nation's leading returning tackler after collecting 159 as a 2018 junior, is the first Cal player selected as a first-team All-American since running back Jahvid Best was a preseason first-team pick prior to the 2009 campaign.

Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award will be announced Oct. 29, 2019, while the three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 25, 2019. The winners of the 2019 Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 12, 2019. 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 13, 2020.

Below are notes on Weaver with an extended bio available by clicking on his name.
 
Evan Weaver, ILB, 6-3, 245, Sr., 3L, Spokane, WA (Gonzaga Prep)
Cal Career (2016 – Present)
• Has played in 36 of 37 possible games with 18 starts since his arrival at Cal in 2016 and posted career totals highlighted by 230 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss (-52 yards), 6.0 sacks (-35 yards) and two interceptions that he has returned for 47 yards and one touchdown on a career-long 37-yard return against Washington as a 2018 junior
• Cal's active career leader in tackles who will begin the 2019 campaign 29 stops shy of the school's all-time top 10 list
Senior (2019)
• First-team (Athlon) and second-team (Phil Steele) preseason All-American
• First-team preseason All-Pac-12 (Athlon, Lindy's, Phil Steele, Street & Smith)
• Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List
• One of 42 student-athletes on the Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List
• Nation's leading returning tackler with 159 in 2018
Junior (2018)
• Second-team All-American (Pro Football Focus)
• First-team (Associated Press, Pro Football Focus) and second-team (Athlon, Pac-12 Coaches, Phil Steele) All-Pac-12
• Recipient of Cal's Bear Backers Award as the team's Co-Most Valuable Defensive Player
• Recorded career highs of 159 tackles to rank tied for second on Cal's all-time single-season list, 9.5 tackles for loss (-42 yards), 4.5 sacks (-28 yards), and two interceptions that he returned for 47 yards and his lone career touchdown
• Tied for fifth nationally with 6.4 solo tackles per game and eighth in total tackles with 11.9 per contest
 
The Bednarik Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients dating to 1935. The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a 12-day period this month. Seventeen of the association's 25 awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
 
2019 Preseason Watch List Calendar
Monday, July 15 – Bednarik Award & Maxwell Award
Tuesday, July 16 – Davey O'Brien Award
Wednesday, July 17 – Doak Walker Award
Thursday, July 18 – Biletnikoff Award
Friday, July 19 – John Mackey Award & Rimington Trophy
Monday, July 22 – Butkus Award® & Paycom Jim Thorpe Award
Tuesday, July 23 – Bronko Nagurski Trophy & Outland Trophy
Wednesday, July 24 – Lou Groza Award, Ray Guy Award
Thursday, July 25 – Paul Hornung Award & Wuerffel Trophy
Friday, July 26 – Walter Camp Award
 
2019 Cal Football Coverage
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