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Aug 31, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets linebacker Kyle Efford (44) warms up before a game against Georgia State Panthers at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech LB Kyle Efford Named to Bednarik Award Watchlist

Originally posted on Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 2:00 PM ET

Georgia Tech linebacker Kyle Efford has been named to the Bednarik Award Watchlist. The Bednarik Award is presented annually to college football’s defensive player of the year.

Efford has led Georgia Tech in tackles each of the last two seasons, including with 64 in just 10 games as a sophomore last season. Despite missing three games due to a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery, Efford also led the Yellow Jackets in sacks (3.0) and was tied for third on the squad with 5.5 tackles for loss as a sophomore in 2024.

He turned up the biggest in some of Tech’s biggest games of the year, amassing 10 tackles in the Jackets’ season-opening win over No. 10 Florida State and six stops, including a sack of eventual No. 1 NFL Draft pick Cam Ward, in Tech’s victory over No. 4-ranked and previously unbeaten Miami (Fla.) in November. Despite being limited by injury in the second half of the season, Efford was a third-team all-ACC honoree.

In addition to being an all-ACC selection, he was a member of the all-ACC academic team in 2024 in recognition of his performance on the field and in the classroom.

Efford also led the team in tackles as a redshirt freshman in 2023 with 81, despite only being in the starting lineup for the second half of the season. He was the first Georgia Tech freshman to tie for the team lead in tackles since Darryl Smith in 1999, and the first freshman to lead the Yellow Jackets in stops outright since 1991.

The Bednarik Award partners with Pro Football Focus and Phil Steele Publications to provide data to its selection committee. The committee will select semifinalists and finalists for the 2025 Bednarik Award in November, and the recipient of the 31st Bednarik Award will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12 on ESPN. The award will be formally presented at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on March 13, 2026 in Atlanta.

A number of Georgia Tech players have been garnering attention on the preseason award watchlists. Just last week, Haynes King was named to the Davey O'Brien Award Watchlist.

King enters the 2025 season ranked as one of the nation’s top 10 quarterbacks by ESPN.com. In just two years as a Yellow Jacket, he has moved into the top 10 in school history in passing yards (4,956 – sixth), total offense (6,280 yards – fifth), touchdown passes (41 – t-fourth) and touchdowns responsible for (62 – t-fourth).

Last season, he became the first NCAA Division I FBS player in at least 69 years (dating back to 1956) with no less than 2,000 passing yards, 10 touchdown passes and a 70% completion percentage, as well as two or fewer interceptions in a season. His 72.9% completion rate in 2024 and 37 touchdowns responsible for in 2023 are both single-season school records, while the 72.9% completion percentage in ’24 also set a new Atlantic Coast Conference record.

Earlier this preseason, King was also named to the official watch list for the Maxwell Award (national player of the year). A two-time team captain, he is also a nominee for the AFCA Good Works Team and on the official watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, both of which recognize student-athletes for their leadership on the field and in the community.

The Davey O’Brien Award’s national selection committee will name semifinalists and finalists in November, with the winner unveiled live during The Home Depot College Football Awards show, Dec. 12 on ESPN. The 49th-annual Davey O’Brien Award will be presented on Feb. 16, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas.

This article first appeared on Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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