Trio of Notre Dame football players earn recognition on award watch lists

On Tuesday, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) All-America committee each added a pair of Notre Dame football players to their two respective watch lists: the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Outland Trophy.

The Nagurski Trophy recognized safety Xavier Watts and defensive lineman Howard Cross III as one of 75 candidates to take national defensive players of the year award. The Outland Trophy, which honors the top interior lineman in college football, named Cross and Watts to their 75-man list.

Watts is the reigning Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner. After an outstanding 2023 campaign, Watts joined former Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te’o (2012) as the only Notre Dame player to win the award. Former Northwestern linebacker Pat Fitzgerald and Alabama linebacker Will Anderson are the only players to repeat as winners. The award began in 1993.

Watts was a unanimous All-American in 2023, with the help of his nation-tying seven interceptions. He also had 52 tackles (30 solo), 3 for loss and 4 pass breakups.

Cross or Mills looks to become the first Notre Dame defensive lineman to claim the Outland Trophy since defensive end Ross Browner in 1976. Offensive tackle George Connor and guard Bill Fischer won the award in 1946 and 1948, respectively. Irish left tackle Joe Alt was a finalist for the award last year.

Cross III is the only returning All-American on the Outland Trophy watch list. He earned earned second-team All-America honors from FWAA, Walter Camp, the Associated Press and The Sporting News in 2023. His 66 tackles last season finished second among all Power 5 front-four defensive linemen. 

Mills started all 13 games in 2023 and registered 47 tackles (22 solo), 5.5 for loss, 2.5 sacks and 4 quarterback hurries. In the turnover department, he recovered a pair of fumbles. Pro Football Focus named him and Cross two of the 10 best returning defensive tackles in 2024.

More details about the Bronko Nagurski Trophy

The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association’s full membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Nagurski Trophy finalists. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from the five finalists named in November. Committee members, by individual ballot, select the winner they regard as the best defensive player in college football.

The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. 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.

More details about the Outland Trophy

The FWAA will announce the Outland Trophy semifinalists on Nov. 20, and those players will then be paired down to three finalists announced on Nov. 26. The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from those finalists who will be part of the annual FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects a 26-man first team and eventually the three Outland finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner. Only interior linemen on offense or defense are eligible for the award; ends are not eligible.

The Outland Trophy, celebrating 79 years since its founding, is the third-oldest major college football award. Created in 1946 when Dr. John Outland presented the FWAA with a financial contribution to initiate the award, the Outland Trophy has been given to the best interior lineman in college football ever since Dr. Outland, an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1890s, eventually took up practice in Kansas City, Mo. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Outland believed linemen did not get the credit they deserved and wanted an award to recognize them.