Photo by: Evan Pilat/Texas A&M Athletics
SEC Sack Leader Howell Added to Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List
Oct 23, 2025 | Football
PHILADELPHIA – SEC sack leader Cashius Howell was added to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, the Maxwell Football Club announced on Thursday.
Howell, a senior defensive end from Kansas City, Missouri, leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally with 7.5 sacks (1.1 per game). According to Pro Football Focus, Howell leads all SEC players with a 91.5 pass rush grade, 32 QB pressures and a 26% win rate vs. blocking on pass rush snaps. For his career, Howell has logged 23.0 sacks, which ranks fourth on the NCAA active sacks leaderboard.
Howell has played key role in Texas A&M ranking in the top 10 nationally in both sacks (No. 6 / 3.6 per game) and tackles for losses (No. 6 / 7.9 per game). Additionally, the Aggies rank No. 2 nationally in third-down defense with opponents converting 23.0% of their third-down situations, including only 14.0% (6-of-43) in SEC games.
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. Texas A&M and National Football Foundation Hall of Famer Dat Nguyen was the 1998 recipient of the Bednarik Award.
No. 3 Texas A&M returns to action with a 6:30 p.m. battle with the No. 20 LSU Tigers on Saturday at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.
Howell, a senior defensive end from Kansas City, Missouri, leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally with 7.5 sacks (1.1 per game). According to Pro Football Focus, Howell leads all SEC players with a 91.5 pass rush grade, 32 QB pressures and a 26% win rate vs. blocking on pass rush snaps. For his career, Howell has logged 23.0 sacks, which ranks fourth on the NCAA active sacks leaderboard.
Howell has played key role in Texas A&M ranking in the top 10 nationally in both sacks (No. 6 / 3.6 per game) and tackles for losses (No. 6 / 7.9 per game). Additionally, the Aggies rank No. 2 nationally in third-down defense with opponents converting 23.0% of their third-down situations, including only 14.0% (6-of-43) in SEC games.
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. Texas A&M and National Football Foundation Hall of Famer Dat Nguyen was the 1998 recipient of the Bednarik Award.
No. 3 Texas A&M returns to action with a 6:30 p.m. battle with the No. 20 LSU Tigers on Saturday at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.
Players Mentioned
DE
/ FootballLSU Postgame: Marcel Reed
Saturday, October 25
LSU Postgame: DJ Hicks
Saturday, October 25
LSU Postgame: MIke Elko
Saturday, October 25
Highlights: A&M 49, LSU 25
Saturday, October 25
