Following a breakout season in 2018, Charlotte 49ers defensive end Alex Highsmith (Wilmington, N.C.) has been named to the 25th annual Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List. The Bednarik Award is given to college football's top defensive player.
Highsmith earned First Team all-Conference USA honors in 2018 after breaking the 49ers single-season school record with 17.5 tackles for loss (TFL) on his way to a career-high 60 tackles. He added 3.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and a team-high eight quarterback hurries.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave Highsmith a grade of 90.6 in run-defense, the highest in C-USA.