Wake Forest Athletics
Langston Hardy Named to Chuck Bednarik Award Watchlist
8/21/2026 11:59:00 AM | Football
Hardy last season emerged as one of the ACC's premier pass rushers, leading the conference and ranking fifth nationally with 17 tackles for loss, a mark that tied for the 11th-most in a single season in Wake Forest history.
PHILADELPHIA – The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 32nd Chuck Bednarik Award presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football, with Wake Forest redshirt senior defensive lineman Langston Hardy earning recognition.
As a redshirt junior in 2025, Hardy earned All-ACC Honorable Mention honors after starting all 13 games for the Demon Deacons. Hardy emerged as one of the ACC's premier pass rushers, leading the conference and ranking fifth nationally with 17 tackles for loss, a mark that tied for the 11th-most in a single season in Wake Forest history. He finished the year with 67 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks and a fumble recovery. His seven sacks led the Demon Deacons and ranked fifth in the ACC.
Hardy made an immediate impact in his second game at Wake Forest, recording four tackles and 2.5 sacks against Western Carolina. He followed that performance with a season-high three tackles for loss against NC State on Sept. 11. Hardy closed the season with one of his strongest outings, posting a season-high eight tackles, two tackles for loss, a half sack and two quarterback hits in the season finale against Duke on Nov. 29.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hardy graded as the No. 11 EDGE defender in the ACC among players with at least 500 snaps and ranked as Wake Forest's third-highest-graded defender overall. He logged 619 regular-season snaps, the fifth-most among all ACC defensive linemen and edge rushers.
The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994 and is named in honor of Chuck "Concrete Charlie" 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.
The Bednarik Award watch list once again incorporates a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast, led by 3 returning 2025 semifinalists: Quincy Rhoades (Arkansas), Xavier Atkins (Auburn), and Leonard Moore (Notre Dame). Alabama, BYU, Georgia, Indiana, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech lead the way with 3 candidates each, and 10 conferences are represented, led by the SEC (24), Big10 (19), Big12 (17), and ACC (12).
Langston Hardy Career Honors
The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of our corporate partners, NFL Foundation, College Sports Communicators, SRA Inc, Vertical Raise, Quinco Inc, the ETC Foundation and the Bradley Law Firm. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.
The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards. The NCFAA's 25 awards have honored more than 900 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
For more information about the NCFAA and its college football awards, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter @NCFAA.
As a redshirt junior in 2025, Hardy earned All-ACC Honorable Mention honors after starting all 13 games for the Demon Deacons. Hardy emerged as one of the ACC's premier pass rushers, leading the conference and ranking fifth nationally with 17 tackles for loss, a mark that tied for the 11th-most in a single season in Wake Forest history. He finished the year with 67 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks and a fumble recovery. His seven sacks led the Demon Deacons and ranked fifth in the ACC.
Hardy made an immediate impact in his second game at Wake Forest, recording four tackles and 2.5 sacks against Western Carolina. He followed that performance with a season-high three tackles for loss against NC State on Sept. 11. Hardy closed the season with one of his strongest outings, posting a season-high eight tackles, two tackles for loss, a half sack and two quarterback hits in the season finale against Duke on Nov. 29.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hardy graded as the No. 11 EDGE defender in the ACC among players with at least 500 snaps and ranked as Wake Forest's third-highest-graded defender overall. He logged 619 regular-season snaps, the fifth-most among all ACC defensive linemen and edge rushers.
The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994 and is named in honor of Chuck "Concrete Charlie" 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.
The Bednarik Award watch list once again incorporates a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast, led by 3 returning 2025 semifinalists: Quincy Rhoades (Arkansas), Xavier Atkins (Auburn), and Leonard Moore (Notre Dame). Alabama, BYU, Georgia, Indiana, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech lead the way with 3 candidates each, and 10 conferences are represented, led by the SEC (24), Big10 (19), Big12 (17), and ACC (12).
Langston Hardy Career Honors
- 2026 Chuck Bednarik Award Watchlist
- 2026 Athlon Preseason All-ACC
- 2026 Phil Steele Preseason All-ACC Second-Team
- 2025 All-ACC Honorable Mention
The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of our corporate partners, NFL Foundation, College Sports Communicators, SRA Inc, Vertical Raise, Quinco Inc, the ETC Foundation and the Bradley Law Firm. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.
The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards. The NCFAA's 25 awards have honored more than 900 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
For more information about the NCFAA and its college football awards, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter @NCFAA.
Players Mentioned
DL
/ FootballFriday, August 21
Wednesday, August 19
Tuesday, August 18
Tuesday, August 18