Henry Anderson, A.J. Tarpley, Alex Carter, Jordan Richards, Kevin Hogan, Ty Montgomery, Graham Shuler, and Jordan Williamson, and are the eight members of the Stanford football team named to the initial watch lists of the 2014 season.

Anderson, Tarpley, Carter and Richards were selected as candidates for the Bednarik Award, as Stanford had the most players to be named to the list. The award is given to the College Defensive Player of the Year.

A fifth year senior defensive end and two-time All-Pac-12 selection, Anderson earned all-league honors after last season despite only playing eight games during 2013 due to a leg injury. The 2013 Pac-12 All-Academic team honoree recorded 16 tackles for a loss.

Junior cornerback Carter has earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors in both of his seasons on the Farm. He assumed a starting role for the last eight games of his freshman season and had a team-high seven pass breakups in the 2013 season.

Tarpley, underrated last season but soon to be considered the new “workhorse” of the defensive line after playing beside All-Americans Shayne Skov and Trent Murphy, has started 32 career games at inside linebacker. Last season, he finished second on the Cardinal defense with 93 tackles.

A senior strong safety and a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic pick, Richards had 69 tackles, with four for a loss, three interceptions and three pass breakups last season. In the offseason, he earned Capitol One Academic All-America honors as well as preseason All-America accolades. Richards has also been nominated to the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List, honoring college football’s best defensive back.

Hogan and Montgomery were both named to the Maxwell Award Watch List, with Montgomery also named to the Paul Hornung Watch List. The former award recognizes America’s College Player of the Year, while the latter honors the most versatile player in major college football.

This is the second nomination for the senior quarterback, who had a 61 percent completion rate and ended the season with 2,630 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. He is 16-3 as a starter and 10-1 against nationally-ranked opponents.

Montgomery, a senior wide receiver and kickoff returner, finished second nationally in kickoff return average last season with 30.3 yards. In addition, he was the only player on a BCS conference team with two kickoff returns for a touchdown. Montgomery finished ninth nationally in all-purpose yards for 2013, was the team’s leading pass catcher in 13 of its 14 games and caught 61 passes for 958 yards  with 10 touchdowns.

Shuler is one of six players from the Pac-12 to be named as a candidate for the Rimington Trophy, given to the best center in Division I football. Shuler is among the group of players ready to replace the positions vacated on the offensive line by four graduating starters, including NFL draft selections David Yankey (also an All-American) and Cameron Flemming. The junior offensive center earned significant playing time last season on an offensive line that ranked 22nd in rushing offense at 207.4 yards per game, seventh in tackles for a loss allowed and 11th in sacks allowed. 

Finally, Williamson, a fifth year senior place kicker,  was named to the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Watch List. Heading into his final season on the Farm, he tallies 48 career field goals, poised to pass his fourth all-time standing for the Cardinal, on 68 attempts. His .706 field goal percentage also is fourth best all-time for the Cardinal.

Stanford football season kicks off on August 30th at Stanford Stadium against UC-Davis.

Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

*This post has been updated*