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Arizona football: Wildcats' linebacker Paul Magloire Jr. named to the Bednarik Award watch list

Paul Magloire Jr. is being recognized as one of the best defensive players in the nation

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

College football is just under two months away. The preseason polls and watch lists will be rolling out soon, which haven't been too kind to the Arizona Wildcats over the last four years, despite Rich Rodriguez' success.

However, on Tuesday morning, the watch list for the Bednarik Award — an honor given to the top collegiate defensive player — was released and Arizona linebacker Paul Magloire Jr. was one of 90 players on it.

If you recall, Scooby Wright III won the award in 2014 after his stellar sophomore season.

Magloire broke onto the scene against Oregon State in the sixth week of the season, getting his first career start after moving from safety to linebacker. Magloire finished second on the team in tackles (72), was named to the All Pac-12 Bowl Team, and was subsequently labeled as a player to watch for in 2016.

Now under Marcel Yates' 4-2-5 defense, Magloire will be the focal point of an aggressive, attacking defense. There might be a lot of question marks, but Magloire figures to be a sure thing for the Wildcats. During Arizona's NFL Pro Day, he received the highest draft grade on the team among the eligible 2017 NFL Draft candidates.