The beginning of July brings about the college football preseason watch lists, and Auburn football's Rudy Ford and Carl Lawson have found themselves in the running for the 22nd Chuck Bednarik Award. The award is given at the end of the season to college football's top defensive player.
Ford, a safety for the Tigers, led the team in tackles in 2015 with 118. Ford ended the season with 68 solo tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Lawson, a defensive end for the Tigers, had high hopes for last season after being named a freshman All-American in 2013, but only appeared in seven games for Auburn after being injured in the 2015 opener against Louisville. Lawson was also recovering from an ACL injury that occurred during his sophomore season before last season's injury.
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