Whether the college football season takes place this fall or in the spring, plenty of eyes will be trained on Kansas State's Wyatt Hubert. A rising fourth-year junior, Hubert was named to the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award on Monday. The award, presented by the Maxwell Football Club, annually is given to the player judged to be the best defender in the country. One of the top returning defensive ends in the nation, Hubert is the first Wildcat to land on the award's preseason watch list since D.J. Reed in 2017. He is the eighth player in school history to be considered for the award, which includes 1996 finalist Chris Canty and 2012 semifinalist Arthur Brown. Hubert, a Topeka native, was a first-team All-Big 12 selection last fall. He enters his junior season ranked 12th nationally among active players in career sacks per game (0.50) and 13th in career tackles for loss per game (0.91). - Manhattan Mercury