Quincy Rhodes Jr. named semifinalist for prestigious defensive award
Arkansas Razorbacks junior defensive end Quincy Rhodes Jr. was selected as one of 20 semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award on Tuesday, presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding defensive player in college football.
He is the first Razorback since Drew Sanders in 2022 to be named a semifinalist for the coveted award.
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Rhodes has been the bright spot for a down Razorback defense, as he is currently tied for second in the SEC with 14 tackles for loss and eighth nationally, which is also the most by an Arkansas defender since 2015 and he is also tied for second in the SEC with eight sacks.
The North Little Rock alumnus is the only player in program history with multiple 4+ tackles for loss games in a season, that includes his most recent performance against Mississippi State (4.5 TFL) and Memphis on Sept. 20.
In nine games with eight starts in 2025, Rhodes has logged 37 total tackles, 24 of them solo, and he has also forced a fumble.
The winners of the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show, which will be broadcast live on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. The formal presentation of the Maxwell and Chuck Bednarik Awards will take place at the 89th Maxwell Awards Gala, which will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Following its second bye week of the season, Arkansas, now led by interim head coach Bobby Petrino, hits the road for Baton Rouge, La., for The Battle for the Boot against LSU. Kickoff from Tiger Stadium is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. CT Saturday, Nov. 15.
