IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa third-year linebacker Cam Buffington has been selected as a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, which is presented to the most outstanding defensive player in college football by the Maxwell Football Club.
Buffington is one of 18 semifinalists for the award. He is the 10th Hawkeye to be named a Bednarik semifinalist since 2005, joining Cooper DeJean (2023), Jack Campbell (2022), Daviyon Nixon (2020), Josh Jackson (2017), Josey Jewell (2017), Desmond King (2016), Adrian Clayborn (2010), Pat Angerer (2009) and Chad Greenway (2005).
Buffington leads the team with 82 tackles through nine games, averaging 9.1 stops per contest to rank second in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally. The native of Winfield, Iowa, has 47 solo tackles (tops in the Big Ten and No. 9 in the FBS), nine tackles for loss, three sacks and four quarterback hurries.
Buffington, who has led the team in tackles in five games, has four double-digit tackle games this season. He had a career-high 15 tackles, including nine solo stops, in Iowa’s Week 2 victory over Iowa State, 11 stops in Week 4 at Michigan, 10 in Week 8 at Minnesota and 12 in Week 10 at Northwestern. He was named the Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week on Sept. 16.
An enterprise leadership major, Buffington is also a semifinalist for the Dick Butkus Award and was named a midseason second-team All-American by The Athletic.
The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994 and is named in honor of Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik. Bednarik was an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania and later a multiple-year All-Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and was the last NFL player to be a full-time player on both offense and defense.
Three finalists for the award will be unveiled Nov. 24.
No. 16 Iowa (7-2, 4-2) hosts Purdue (3-6, 2-4) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (CT) on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium. The game will be televised on NBC and broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network.
