One of Covington’s very own is making a name for himself in the college football world.

Duke announced Tuesday that Alcovy alumnus DeVon Edwards has been named to the preseason watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award. This award, started by the Maxwell Football Club, is given every year to the top defensive player in the nation. Notable past winners include Manti Te’o, Tyrann Mathieu, Ndamukong Suh, Warren Sapp, Charles Woodson, David Pollack and more.

Edwards is entering his senior season with the Blue Devils after redshirting his first season with the team. During his time at Duke, he has been name an All-ACC defensive back, All-America return specialist and Academic All-America student-athlete. He is one of only two active players who earned both All-America and Academic All-America honors last season, with the other being Christian McCaffrey of Stanford.

Edwards has played in 40 games for the Blue Devils with 33 starts. In those games, he has recorded 298 tackles, 10.0 tackles for lost yardage, 5.5 quarterback sacks, five interceptions, five caused fumbles, and has returned 72 kickoffs for 2,019 yards (28.04) and six touchdowns.

While a player for Alcovy, Edwards helped the Tigers to a division championship as a senior and two state playoff berths in 2009 and 2011. He recorded 49 tackles, one interception and gained 1,978 all-purpose yards with 20 total touchdowns, which led to his Region 3-AAAA Offensive Player of the Year honor. He also set school single-season records for all-purpose yards, total touchdowns and kick-off returns for touchdowns while becoming just the third player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season (1,009).

The Bednarik Award is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik, a College and Pro Football Hall of Famer and an eight-time Pro Bowl selection with the Philadelphia Eagles.