Mercilus Named Finalist for Hendricks Award
November 30, 2011 | Football
Nov. 30, 2011
Full Hendricks Award Release | Hendricks Award Website
CHICAGO, Ill. - Illinois junior Whitney Mercilus is one of six finalists for the 2011 Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award, the Ted Hendricks Foundation announced today. Mercilus leads the nation in sacks, sacks per game and forced fumbles while ranking seventh nationally in tackles for loss per game. He is also a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which goes to the national Defensive Player of the Year.
A native of Akron, Ohio, Mercilus is one of college football's breakout players in 2011, as he has 52 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles and six quarterback hurries. He entered the season with 24 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and two sacks in his two previous seasons.
Mercilus has already has broken the Illinois and Big Ten single-season records for forced fumbles and is one shy of tying the NCAA record of 10. He also is 1.5 sacks away from tying former two-time All-America Simeon Rice's school season record of 16 sacks.
Mercilus has lived up to his name, taking over the national lead in sacks after Illinois' seventh game on Oct. 15 and holding it for through the end of the regular season, including the Illini's open week. He has had at least one sack in 10 of 12 games this season, including a career-high three against Indiana, and has forced a fumble in four straight games.
In addition to being a finalist for the Hendricks and Nagurski Awards, Mercilus also is a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, given annually to the nation's top defensive player, and the Rotary Lombardi Award, given annually to the nation's top offensive or defensive lineman or linebacker. He was named first team All-Big Ten earlier this week and was on Phil Steele's midseason All-America first team. He was named the College Football Performance Award's defensive lineman of the week on Oct. 10 after his three-sack, four-TFL performance against the Hoosiers.
The final vote for 2011 Hendricks Award will be concluded on December 6, and the winner will be announced December 7th. This year's winner will be honored at the Hendricks Award Dinner in the spring of 2012 in Miami, Fla. Time and place are to be determined.
2011 Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Finalists
Frank Alexander, Sr., Oklahoma
Andre Branch, Sr., Clemson
Vinny Curry, Sr, Marshall
Whitney Mercilus, Jr., Illinois
Sam Montgomery, So., LSU
Nick Perry, Jr., USC
