Collin Oliver Named to Chuck Bednarik Award Preseason Watch List

The preseason accolades keep stacking up for Collin Oliver as he makes his move to linebacker in 2023.

Oliver on Monday was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watch list. The Bednarik is given to college football’s most outstanding defensive player. The award has been given out annually since 1995, and no Oklahoma State player has ever won it.

Oliver is one of 85 players on this year’s preseason watch list. Eleven of those players are from the Big 12. Joining Oliver are Texas Tech’s Jaylon Hutchings, UCF’s Jason Johnson, TCU’s Josh Newton, West Virginia’s Aubrey Burks, Cincinnati’s Dontay Corleone, Kansas’ Cobee Bryant, Oklahoma’s Ethan Downs, Texas’ Jaylan Ford, Kansas State’s Kobe Savage and Iowa State’s T.J. Tampa.

Oliver was named to the Bronko Nagurski preseason watch list at the beginning of the month, and he was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team this summer.

Making the move from defensive end to linebacker in 2023, Oliver recorded 15.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss in his first two seasons of college football. He has accounted for 57 total tackles in his career to go with a pass breakup and a forced fumble.

He was the unanimous Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2021, a year in which Oliver was also named a freshman All-American. He has been an All-Big 12 Second Team selection each of the past two seasons.

Oliver came to OSU as a four-star recruit out of Edmond Santa Fe High School. He was the No. 439 player in the 2021 class, picking Oklahoma State over offers to Georgia, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Oregon and others.