NEW ORLEANS – Appalachian State’s Akeem Davis-Gaither, Georgia Southern’s Kindle Vildor and Texas State’s Bryan London II all earned a spot on the 2019 watch list for the 25th annual Chuck Bednarik Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday afternoon.
 
The Bednarik Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards boast over 800 recipients. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about the association.
 
Davis-Gaither amassed 105 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and three quarterback hurries in 2018 for a defense that ranked fourth nationally in points allowed per game. He had the most tackles in the Sun Belt by a player from a bowl-eligible team, recorded three games with at least 14 tackles and had the eighth-most PBUs in the country among non-DBs.
 
Vildor, from College Park, Georgia, was a second-team All-American a year ago by Pro Football Focus and is graded as the No. 2 cornerback in the country by PFF heading into the 2019 season. He was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year by Pro Football Focus and earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors from the league, Pro Football Focus, Phil Steele and Southern Pigskin. He was on the field for 831 total plays, talying 42 tackles on the season, including 4.5 for loss. He led the team with four interceptions and also had a team-high 11 pass breakups.
 
London II, a preseason selection to the All-Sun Belt team by Athlon Sports, Street and Smith’s, Phil Steele and Lindy’s preseason magazines, led the Sun Belt Conference in tackles with 109 stops and 53 solo tackles in 2018. He finished atop the Sun Belt and ranked 45th nationally in total tackles per game at 9.1.
 
The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a 12-day period this month. Seventeen of the association's 23 awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates.
 
Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award will be announced Oct. 29, while the three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 25. The winner of the 2019 Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 12. The formal presentations of the award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on March 13, 2020.