Nick Martin, Collin Oliver on Bednarik Award Watch List
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State linebackers Nick Martin and Collin Oliver were named to the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday.
With its watch list consisting of 90 total FBS student-athletes, the Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994. Martin and Oliver are two of 13 players representing the Big 12 Conference and make Oklahoma State one of 18 schools with multiple players on the list. The duo was also selected to the Bronko Nagurski watch list earlier this summer.
In his first season as a starter, Martin earned first team All-Big 12 honors and honorable mention for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. Martin’s 140 total tackles on the year were the most by a Cowboy since 1984 and most among Big 12 players in five years, while his 83 solo tackles led all Power Five players. Additionally, he was one of just five players in the nation to record 17 tackles in multiple games and ranked 20th in the FBS with 16.0 tackles for loss.
Meanwhile, Oliver earned second team All-Big 12 distinction in 2023 to become the eighth defensive player in OSU history to receive three all-conference selections. A longtime leader on the Cowboy defense, Oliver has played in all 41 games since he arrived on campus and enters his senior season ranking fifth in program history with 22.5 career sacks and ninth with 38.5 career tackles for loss. In 2023, he matched Martin with six sacks for the team lead and forced four fumbles, tied for third-most in the FBS.
The three finalists for the Bednarik Award will be unveiled on November 26, while the winner will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 12. The formal presentation of the award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on March 14, 2025, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Ga.