Ahmad Gardner, Desmond Ridder, Darrian Beavers Named National Award Finalists
Three Bearcats are finalists for major college awards this season. Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, Desmond Ridder, and Darrian Beaver's made the cut for three of the nation's highest individual honors.
Gardner is a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, bestowed upon the best defensive player in the nation—a title Gardner has a strong claim too. The junior has 20 tackles, two passes defended, and two interceptions this season.
If those numbers seem low for an award of this stature—think again. Cornerback play is all about denying the football, and very few quarterbacks want to look in Gardner's direction. The shutdown corner should pepper plenty of All-American lists as he did in 2020.
Ridder joins his defensive teammates on the circuit with a nomination for the Maxwell Award—given to the top college football player in the country. The senior is also a nominee for the Davey O'Brien Award, handed out to the country's top quarterback.
One of the greatest competitors in the Bearcats' history, Ridder has a 39-5 record as a starter—which is No. 1 in the country among FBS QBs—and has thrown for 1,847 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. He's also ran for three scores and 171 yards.
Last but not least is Beavers, who is up for the Dick Butkus Award as one of 16 semifinalists. The annual award is earned by the top linebacker in college football. Beavers has certainly fit that bill for the "BlackCat" defense.
On the year, he leads the Bearcats with 3.5 sacks and is second on the team with 58 tackles. He also has 5.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two recoveries, along with two passes defended.
The award nominations are flowing in for a program that hasn't lost a regular-season game in nearly two years.
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Ahmad Gardner, Desmond Ridder, Darrian Beavers Named National Award Finalists