Anthony Nelson
University of Iowa junior Anthony Nelson and Iowa State junior JaQuan Bailey have been named to the 2018 Ted Hendricks Award Watch List.
Announced by Ted Hendricks and the Ted Hendricks Foundation, the award honors the top defensive end in college football. On-field performance, exceptional winning attitude, leadership abilities, school and community contributions, and academic preparedness are some qualities the award’s recipient must display.
Last season, Nelson (6-foot-7, 271 pounds) started all 13 games and recorded a team leading and career-high 7.5 sacks to earn third-team All-Big Ten honors. The Urbandale, Iowa, native tallied 41 tackles, including 9.5 for loss, while also recording four pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, and a blocked field goal. His fourth-quarter sack against Boston College quarterback ultimately led to Iowa’s game-winning touchdown in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Nelson has been named to three other preseason award watch lists, including the Lott IMPACT Trophy, the Bednarik Award, and the Bronko Nagurski award. Nelson, who selected to Iowa’s 2018 Leadership Group, is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, a first-team Academic All-American, and was most recently recognized as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
Jaquan Bailey
Bailey had phenomenal sophomore campaign in 2017 when he led the team in sacks (7.0), ranking fifth in the Big 12 and fourth all-time on ISU’s single-season list. He also had 34 tackles, 11.0 TFL and two forced fumbles.
The Jacksonville, Fla., native enters his junior season with 20 consecutive starts dating back to his freshman campaign. His 10.5 career sacks currently ranks 11th all-time in the Cyclone record book.
The preseason All-Big 12 team member was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection in 2017 and an honorable mention freshman All-American in 2016.
The award is named in honor of Ted Hendricks, who was college football’s first three-time first-team All-American. Bradley Chubb of N.C. State won last year’s award.
The winner of the 2018 Ted Hendricks Award will be announced on Dec. 12.