Penn State Football: Devon Still Earns National Respect as Multi-Award Finalist

Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still has been named a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Outland Trophy. The Bednarik Award is presented by the Maxwell Football Club to the nation's top defensive player and the Outland Trophy is awarded by the Football Writers Association of America to the nation's top collegiate interior lineman (offense or defense).

Former Nittany Lion Mike Reid remains the only Penn State player to win the Outland Trophy, doing so in 1969, but Penn State has a rich history with the Bednarik Award.

Penn State players have won four Bednarik Awards—twice as many as Northwestern, the only other school to win multiple Bednarik Awards. Current Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald won the first two Bednarik Awards handed out in 1995 and 1996, while Penn State's LaVar Arrington, Paul Posluszny (twice) and Dan Connor have accounted for Penn State's four Bednarik Awards.

Still may have a decent chance at winning Penn State's fifth Bednarik Award. The other two finalists are Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower and LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu. Both SEC defenders started the season with plenty of national attention and have excelled in high-profile games, but they could split the hypothetical "SEC vote," among voters in and around SEC territory.

Could that play in Still's favor? Perhaps.

The Outland Trophy will be a toss-up for Still, as it has been pretty evenly split between offensive and defensive linemen in recent years. Still is the lone defensive lineman finalist this year. Alabama offensive lineman Barrett Jones and Stanford offensive lineman David DeCastro will be tough competition, and Still could benefit from having a big game against Wisconsin this weekend to sway some votes his way.

Still is one of three players to be named a finalist for multiple individual awards handed out to college football's top players. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was named a finalist for the Maxwell Award (college football player of the year) and Davey O'Brien Award (outstanding quarterback). Alabama running back Trent Richardson was named a finalist for the Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award (outstanding running back).

The winner of these awards and more will be announced December 8 on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show in Disney World.