Jordan Latest Duck Named on Award Watch List
By Brian Spaen
Three college football players on the Oregon Ducks will be playing for both a national championship and a college football award at the end of the season.
Dion Jordan, senior defensive end, has been named to the Ted Hendricks Award watch list. This award is given annually to the nation’s top defensive end. He joins other Pac-12 defensive ends such as UCLA’s Cassius Marsh, USC’s Wes Horton, also Devon Kennard, California’s DeAndre Coleman, and Stanford’s Ben Gardner. 34 other players across the country were named on the list.
Players can be added or removed until November due to performance and injury.
Coming in at 6-foot-6 and 246 pounds, Jordan is the ninth ranked DE in the country according to NFL Draft Scout. He joined the Ducks as a tight end but made the switch to his current position for the sophomore season. He led the defensive team with 13 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks last season.
Other preseason awards that he’s been added to the watch list are the Rotary Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman), Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player of the year), and Bednarik Award (nation’s top defensive player).
Recent notable award winners are Da’Quan Bowers from Clemson in 2010, Brian Orakpo from Texas in 2008, Chris Long from Virginia in 2007, Elvis Dumervil from Louisville in 2005, two-time winner David Pollack from Georgia in 2003 and 2004, and Terrell Suggs from Arizona State in 2002.
Jordan is among two other athletes on team that have been named to preseason award watch lists. Kenjon Barner is listed on the Doak Walker Award list (nation’s top running back) and De’Anthony Thomas is listed on the Walter Camp Award list (player of the year).
Generally, these awards are all announced in December, many of them before or around when the Heisman trophy is presented.
Brian Spaen is the lead editor for Autzen Zoo, follow the site on Facebook and Twitter. Read his other work on the Iowa State blog, Clones Confidential, and Watson Talk Lacrosse.