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Three Tennessee Vols Defensive Players Named to Bednarik Watch List

By Caleb Calhoun

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Tennessee Vols defensive end Derek Barnett, Linebacker Curt Maggitt and cornerback Cameron Sutton have all been named to the 2015 Bednarik Award Watch List.

With two players in contention for the Maxwell Award, the Tennessee Volunteers have three more players named on the watch list for the top defensive player of the year.

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Sophomore defensive end Derek Barnett, senior linebacker Curt Maggitt, and junior cornerback Cameron Sutton were announced among the 80 players named to the Chuck Bednarik Award on Tuesday at the Maxwell Football Club.

Only two Tennessee Vols have ever made it to being named semifinalists for the Bednarik Award, which was first presented in 1995, according to UT Sports.

Those Vols were linebacker Kevin Burnett in 2004 and Eric Berry in 2008.

The addition of Sutton, Maggitt, and Barnett to the list just shows how far the football program is progressing under Butch Jones.

At least one of those players will be back next year, and potentially two could be back.

Meanwhile, Maggitt is on the list based on his performance this past year, in which he racked up 11 sacks. For context, he was coming off of a season-ending injury from the year before.

So now, as a redshirt senior who is now very experienced and should be fully healthy, the sky is the limit for this guy, particularly if the offense under Dobbs develops just enough for the defense not to have to be on the field as much.

Sutton has been a superstar for two years as a starter already, as he is a punt return specialist and an amazing defender. Sutton defended 16 passes last year and came away with three interceptions despite nobody really wanting to throw his way because he has already been recognized as a great cornerback.

The hard thing for Sutton this year will be to rack up anymore stats or gain more recognition.

Meanwhile, Derek Barnett had an immediate impact as a freshman last year. The guy had 10 sacks as a defensive end and two three-sack games. He also had 72 tackles and 20.5 tackles for a loss. The future for him is incredibly bright.

The Vols overall are loaded with weapons on defense this year. While Joshua Dobbs and Jalen Hurd get all the hype, the defense is truly a big reason for why so many people are excited about them.

Next: Josh Dobbs and Jalen Hurd On Maxwell Award Watch List

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