Iowa’s senior linebacker James Morris was recently named to the 2013 Bednarik Award Watch List.

The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995.

Chuck Bednarik, who played at Penn and with the Philadelphia Eagles, is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the NFL Hall of Fame.

Morris has been a starting linebacker for the Hawkeyes since his freshman season in 2010. Last season, he ranked third in the Big Ten, 31st nationally, with 9.4 tackles per game. His 293 tackles ranks 16th at Iowa.

Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award will be announced on Oct. 29. The three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 25. The winners of the 2013 Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dev. 12. The formal presentations of the award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala, hosted by Harrah’s Entertainment Atlantics City on March 7, 2014.