Three Michigan players land on Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list for nation's top defender
The Football Writers Association of America released the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list for the 2023 season, and three Michigan Wolverines football standouts made the list in senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, junior linebacker Junior Colson and junior safety Rod Moore. The Maize and Blue are one of five schools with three selections, joining Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia and Alabama. The Big Ten has 15 players who made the list, tying the SEC for the most among conferences.
Jenkins, now up to 307 pounds after being listed at 285 last season, was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last season, when he paced the Michigan defensive line with 54 tackles, also contributing 3.5 for loss and 2 sacks.
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Colson led Michigan with 101 tackles last season. He can become the first U-M player to have multiple 100-tackle campaigns since Jarrett Irons in the 1990s. He also registered 6 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.
Moore led the Michigan secondary with 71 tackles and 4 interceptions in 2022. Moore’s 4 picks are the most by a Michigan player in a single season since Channing Stribling in 2016 (4) and the highest amount by a U-M safety since Dewayne Patmon posted an identical number in 1998.
Michigan has nation-leading four players on Outland Trophy watch list
The Outland Trophy also dropped its watch list Tuesday, and Michigan had the most selections of any team nationally. Graduate left guard Trevor Keegan, senior right guard Zak Zinter, graduate center Drake Nugent and senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins all made the cut for the award presented to the country’s best interior lineman on either side of the ball.
Michigan saw center Olusegun Oluwatimi win the prestigious award last season, the first Wolverine in history to earn the honor.
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Keegan was a first-team All-Big Ten choice by the coaches last season, and also notched a second-team nod by the media. He’s opened 22 career games at left guard.
A consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection a year ago, Zinter was a big piece of Michigan’s Joe Moore Award winning offensive lines the last two seasons.
A Stanford transfer with 24 career starts at center, Nugent was named preseason first-team All-American by Walter Camp and is considered by Pro Football Focus to be the top center in the country heading into the season.
Jenkins is Michigan’s lone defensive player to land on the list. A defender has won the award just once in the last four seasons.
