Defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte of the University of Louisville football team was announced as a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year, the Maxwell Football Club National Selection Committee announced Monday.
Gillotte recorded 1.5 sacks in the win over Virginia, giving him a career-high 10.0 sacks on the season and moving up to sixth in the nation in sacks. The junior from Boca Raton, Fla., is the first player with 10.0 sacks since Yasir Abdullah notched 10 in 2021.
Through the first 10 games, Gillotte has 37 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks, and leads the ACC with three forced fumbles. 9.0 of his sacks came at home this season with a single sack against NC State on the road.
He recorded a pair of sacks in the shutout win over No. 20 Duke – his second game with two or more sacks this year. In the 56-28 victory over Boston College, Gillotte recorded a career-high 3.0 sacks.
The lists include a field of 17 candidates for the Maxwell Award and 20 candidates for the Bednarik Award as selected by the Maxwell Football Club National Selection Committee. On the defensive side of the ball, the field of contenders is comprised of fresh faces. Seven different conferences and 1 independent are represented, led by 4 student-athletes each from the Big Ten and SEC and 3 each from the Big 12 and ACC.
The winners of the 87th Maxwell Award and the 29th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show which will be broadcast live on ESPN on Friday December 8, 2023.
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