Hoosiers Linebacker Micah McFadden and Cornerback Tiawan Mullen Named to the Bednarik Award Watch List

IU Athletics Release

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana senior linebacker Micah McFadden and junior cornerback Tiawan Mullen landed on the watch list for the 27th annual Chuck Bednarik Award powered by Mammoth Tech, presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football, the Maxwell Football Club announced on Monday morning. Mullen is on the list for the second time in as many years.

The Chuck Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995 and is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik, a former standout at the University of Pennsylvania and with the Philadelphia Eagles. Bednarik 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 full watch list consists of 90 players, with Indiana one of 11 schools having two players represented.

McFadden collected second-team All-America honors from Phil Steele and third-team accolades from the Associated Press in 2020. A first-team All-Big Ten honoree (coaches, media), McFadden was named IU's Anthony Thompson Most Valuable Player along with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 

He led the team with 58 tackles, 44 solos, six sacks (31 yards), and 10.5 for loss (39 yards), while he shared second with three quarterback hurries, and finished fourth with two interceptions. McFadden topped the Big Ten in sacks, the first Hoosier to do so since Greg Middleton (2007), tied for second in solo stops, shared third in TFLs, and tied for eighth in INTs.

After the Hoosiers win at No. 16 Wisconsin, he carded Walter Camp National Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week laurels. A team captain, McFadden recorded a game-high nine tackles with a pair of sacks in the program's first victory in Madison since 2001.

Mullen became the first cornerback in program history to earn first-team All-America honors (FWAA, Phil Steele) one year ago. He was just the second cornerback (Tim Wilbur, 1980 second-teamer) in school history to achieve All-America status and was the first Hoosier since offensive lineman Dan Feeney (2015, 2016) to claim first-team recognition.

Upon the conclusion of the regular season, Mullen became the program's first cornerback to card first-team All-Big Ten honors since Tracy Porter (2007). He is the team's active leader with eight career takeaways (3 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries).

The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native was named IU's 2020 Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year after he made 38 tackles, 27 solo, with 3.5 sacks (32 yards), 4.5 for loss (33 yards), three interceptions, one forced fumble, four pass breakups, and one quarterback hurry in eight games.

Mullen led all Big Ten defensive backs in sacks (T-12th overall) and TFLs, and shared sixth overall in INTs. He finished tied for first on the team in forced fumbles, second in sacks, third in solos stops, tackles for loss and picks, tied for third in PBUs, and fourth in total stops. 

The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF), XOS ThunderCloud and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, and several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele's College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine. XOS ThunderCloud provides the Maxwell Club selection committee with access to game footage from all FBS colleges.

Semifinalists will be announced Nov. 1, while the three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 22. The winner will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 9. The formal presentations of the award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on March 11, 2022.

Questions concerning the 2021 Chuck Bednarik Award watch list can be directed to MFC Executive Director Mark Wolpert mwolpert@maxwellfootballclub.org or MFC Vice President of College Awards Rich Cirminiello rcirminiello@maxwellfootballclub.org.

The Maxwell Award is proudly sponsored by Mammoth Tech and The Athletes' Corner, which are Executive Partners of the Maxwell Football Club.

ABOUT MAMMOTH TECH - Mammoth Tech is one of America's most versatile outsourcing companies. Their clients have included a Top-10 Global Restaurant Company, a Top-15 U.S. Healthcare System with over 80,000 employees, and they're currently one of 13 companies holding the United States Department of Education Default Collection Services Contract. Since being founded in 1964, Mammoth has developed a coast-to-coast presence with approximately 500 employees spanning 6 corporate locations and 7 subcontractor locations. They believe in building up the communities where people work, which is why many of their locations are in HUB Zones or economically-distressed Opportunity Zones. Mammoth lives by a "People-First" mentality, as they help businesses of all sizes achieve maximum efficiency and productivity.

ABOUT THE ATHLETES' CORNER – The Athletes' Corner works with professional athletes and teams to strengthen families who are struggling mentally, physically, and spiritually - all through the vehicle of sports. Partnering with Feeding America®, they launched an initiative called 'The Athletes' Corner vs. Hunger', which has already provided 1.7 million meals to hungry families since November 1st, 2020.

ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB – The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of our corporate partners, Mammoth Tech and the Athletes' Corner. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.
The Maxwell 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. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
 
Indiana Football 2021 Preseason Watch Lists
Dodd Trophy – Tom Allen
Maxwell Award – Ty Fryfogle, Michael Penix Jr.
Bednarik Award – Micah McFadden, Tiawan Mullen