Nagurski Trophy announces 2024 preseason watchlist
The 2024 Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list was revealed Tuesday, via the Football Writers Association of American.
The FWAA selected 75 defensive standouts from 56 schools across the country. Last year’s winner Xavier Watts of Notre Dame is included, as well as five other players from last season’s FWAA All-America team.
The list in its entirety can be viewed below.
| 2024 BRONKO NAGURSKI PRESEASON WATCH LIST (75) | ||
| DT Bear Alexander, USC | LB Anthony Hill, Texas | LB Harold Perkins, LSU |
| S Jahdae Barron, Texas | S Maxen Hook, Toledo | LB Colin Ramos, Navy |
| LB Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon | S Jack Howell, Colorado State | CB Shavon Revel, East Carolina |
| DE Tyler Batty, BYU | DT Lee Hunter, UCF | DE Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina |
| LB CJ Bazile, Liberty | CB Travis Hunter, Colorado | LB Matt Salopek, Miami (Ohio) |
| S Billy Bowman, Oklahoma | DE Landon Jackson, Arkansas | S Jonas Sanker, Virginia |
| CB Cobee Bryant, Kansas | LB Nick Jackson, Iowa | DE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M |
| CB Denzel Burke, Ohio State | DT Patrick Jenkins, Tulane | S Malaki Starks, Georgia |
| DE Abdul Carter, Penn State | LB Nate Johnson, App State | LB Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma |
| CB Sebastian Castro, Iowa | CB Will Johnson, Michigan | DT Junior Tafuna, Utah |
| S Jeremiah Cooper, Iowa State | S Ike Larsen, Utah State | S Dillon Thieneman, Purdue |
| DT Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati | LB Deontae Lawson, Alabama | DE JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State |
| DT Howard Cross III, Notre Dame | LB Jacob Manu, Arizona | DE Shemar Turner, Texas A&M |
| CB Tacario Davis, Arizona | LB Chandler Martin, Memphis | S Jaden Voisin, South Alabama |
| S Caleb Downs, Ohio State | LB Nick Martin, Oklahoma State | DT Deone Walker, Kentucky |
| DE Joe Evans, UTSA | LB Francisco Mauigoa, Miami | DE Johnny Walker, Missouri |
| DT Joshua Farmer, Florida State | LB Smael Mondon, Georgia | LB Marques Watson-Trent, Georgia Southern |
| S Beau Freyler, Iowa State | S Malachi Moore, Alabama | S Xavier Watts, Notre Dame |
| DE Ashton Gillotte, Louisville | LB Xander Mueller, Northwestern | DE Maurice Westmoreland, UTEP |
| DT Mason Graham, Michigan | CB Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon | LB Debo Williams, South Carolina |
| S Brylan Green, Liberty | DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss | DE Mykel Williams, Georgia |
| CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky | DE CJ Nunnally IV, Akron | DT Tyleik Williams, Ohio State |
| DE Ahmed Hassanein, Boise State | LB Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State | S Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin |
| LB Jason Henderson, Old Dominion | DE James Pearce, Tennessee | LB Jackson Woodard, UNLV |
| LB Jay Higgins, Iowa | DT Aeneas Peeples, Virginia Tech (TR Duke) | DE Peter Woods, Clemson |
The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce the finalists for the 2024 trophy on November 20th. The winner will be revealed on December 9th at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet in Charlotte, N.C.
“The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993,” the release read. “In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football, then became a star for professional football’s Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw “Bronko” Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.”