Utah Safety Cole Bishop Earns Spot On Bednarik Award Watch List
Aug 14, 2023, 5:03 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah safety Cole Bishop continues to rake in the preseason nods, this time earning a spot on the Bednarik Award watch list.
The Chuck Bednarik Award is given annually to the most outstanding defensive player in college football. This is Bishop’s third watch list for 2023, also earning spots for the Jim Thorpe Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy as well.
Additionally, Bishop has been recognized as a preseason All-American by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, Walter Camp and SIS.
‼️ @Cole_bishop_8 has been named to the Bednarik Award watchlist, honoring the best defensive player in college football pic.twitter.com/tDkaYAsGhW
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 14, 2023
Cole Bishop’s Impact For The Utes
The junior out of Peachtree City, Georgia has been a steady force in the defensive backfield for the Utes over the past two seasons and is expected to have another great year.
Bishop has played in 24 career games at Utah with 19 starts so far. He is entering the 2023 season ranked second among active Pac-12 defensive backs with 5.7 tackles per game.
Bishop is also a two-time All-Pac-12 selection, earning honorable mentions in Utah football’s 2022 and 2021 back-to-back title seasons.
Last season, Bishop started all 14 games with 13 starts at safety and lead the team in tackles with 83 (6.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks). Bishop also had four passes defended (1 INT, 3 PBU) and a fumble recovery.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
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