Dakota Allen is the best defender in the Big 12. I really hope that is not debated at this point, because it really shouldn’t be.
He will go to the NFL, and will have an awesome career. He plays hard, and he’s insanely athletic. He makes critical open field tackles and can cover when asked to.
But apparently, the Bednarik award does not recognize how good he is. They recently released their semifinalists for the award, which tracks the best defensive player in college football. Allen is noticeably no longer on the list.