Laiatu Latu (15)
Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA
Latu Named to Bednarik Watch List
August 14, 2023 | Football
UCLA's Laiatu Latu was named to the watch list for the 29th Chuck Bednarik Award in an announcement by The Maxwell Football Club on Monday. The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football.
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Latu appeared in all 13 games for the Bruins last season and led the team with 12.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He ranked eighth in the nation, second in the Pac-12, with a 0.81 sacks per game mark. His 10.5 sacks were the most by a Bruin player since Anthony Barr registered 13.5 in the 2012 season and rate as the 12th-most by a Bruin player in school history. Latu posted 2023 season-highs with 3.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in a winย at Colorado and was honored as Pac-12 Player of the Week for that performance in Boulder. In addition, Latu was credited with three forced fumbles on the season (Alabama State, Colorado, Stanford) and had a fumble recovery at Cal. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 by the league coaches and second-team all-conference by Pro Football Focus after being named to the Associated Press and The Athletic Mid-season All-America Teams.
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The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994 and is named in honor of Chuckย Bednarik who was an All-American player at the University of Pennsylvania and later a multiple year All Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and was the last NFL player to be a full-time player on both offense and defense.
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UCLA opens the 2023 football season on Sept. 2 in the Rose Bowl Stadium against Coastal Carolina. The ESPN broadcast will begin at 7:30 p.m. Following a game at San Diego State on Sept. 9, the Bruins will return to Pasadena for a battle with North Carolina Central at 2 p.m. The Pac-12 schedule begins the following Saturday with a trip to play at Utah on Sept. 23.
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Latu appeared in all 13 games for the Bruins last season and led the team with 12.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He ranked eighth in the nation, second in the Pac-12, with a 0.81 sacks per game mark. His 10.5 sacks were the most by a Bruin player since Anthony Barr registered 13.5 in the 2012 season and rate as the 12th-most by a Bruin player in school history. Latu posted 2023 season-highs with 3.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in a winย at Colorado and was honored as Pac-12 Player of the Week for that performance in Boulder. In addition, Latu was credited with three forced fumbles on the season (Alabama State, Colorado, Stanford) and had a fumble recovery at Cal. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 by the league coaches and second-team all-conference by Pro Football Focus after being named to the Associated Press and The Athletic Mid-season All-America Teams.
ย
The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994 and is named in honor of Chuckย Bednarik who was an All-American player at the University of Pennsylvania and later a multiple year All Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and was the last NFL player to be a full-time player on both offense and defense.
ย
UCLA opens the 2023 football season on Sept. 2 in the Rose Bowl Stadium against Coastal Carolina. The ESPN broadcast will begin at 7:30 p.m. Following a game at San Diego State on Sept. 9, the Bruins will return to Pasadena for a battle with North Carolina Central at 2 p.m. The Pac-12 schedule begins the following Saturday with a trip to play at Utah on Sept. 23.
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