Ole Miss Football's Suntarine Perkins Named to Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List

PHILADELPHIA – Ole Miss football junior linebacker Suntarine Perkins has been named to the preseason watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, as announced by the Maxwell Football Club on Monday morning.

Perkins is among 90 total defenders nationally and one of 23 from the SEC to make the watch list for the Bednarik Award, which has been presented annually to the college defensive player of the year since 1995.

The award is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik, a Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker and center who played his entire career with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Perkins – already a watch list member for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and a preseason All-American by Walter Camp (second-team), The Sporting News (second-team) and Phil Steele (fourth-team) – lit up the stat sheet for the powerful Rebel defense as a sophomore in 2024.

Perkins helped contribute to team program records in sacks (52) and tackles for loss (120), which both led the nation, ranking fourth on the team with 60 tackles while tying for the team lead in both TFL (14.0) and sacks (10.5).

Those 10.5 sacks ranked tied for second in Ole Miss single-season history, and his 14.0 TFL ranked tied for 10th all-time.

His most notable game last fall came against Oklahoma, where he notched 4.0 sacks – the most by a Rebel defender in a single game since 1993.

In two years as a Rebel, Perkins owns 98 total tackles, 19.5 TFL and 14.0 sacks across 26 games played and 10 starts.

Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award will be announced Nov. 11, while the three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 25. The winner will be announced live on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 11.

The formal presentation of the Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on March 13, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Bednarik Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards.

The NCFAA's 25 awards have honored more than 900 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.