RB Corey Clement (Photo by David Stluka)
Three Wisconsin Badgers are among the preseason leaders for a pair of major national college football awards.
Junior RB Corey Clement was named to the watch list for the Maxwell Award, while junior OLB Vince Biegel and senior S Michael Caputo are among the candidates for the Bednarik Award.
Clement was one of 80 players named to the Maxwell Award watch list, which is presented annually to the outstanding player in college football. Clement will try to join former Badger Ron Dayne, who claimed the Maxwell Award in 1999.
One of 12 Big Ten players named to the Maxwell Award list, Clement is also among 35 running backs who enter the season vying for the award.
Clement rushed for 949 yards and scored 11 total touchdowns for the Badgers last season. He has gained 1,496 yards in his first two seasons at Wisconsin, averaging 7.0 yards per carry.
Biegel and Caputo made their debut on the watch list for the Bednarik Award, presented annually to college football’s outstanding defensive player. The pair of defensive standouts helped UW to rank No. 4 nationally in total defense at 294.1 yards per game and No. 17 in scoring defense at 20.8 points a game.
Caputo led all Badgers with 106 total tackles in 2014 and recorded 6.0 tackles for loss. Biegel saw action in all 14 games last season and led the Badgers with 16.5 tackles for loss, while ranking second on the team with 7.5 sacks.