South Carolina senior named finalist for yet another big-time award

On Friday, South Carolina football senior Kyle Kennard was named a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. The Football Writers Association of America awards the Nagurski Trophy annually to the top defensive player in college football.

Kennard leads the Southeastern Conference in both sacks and tackles for loss. He also is within striking distance of Jadeveon Clowney’s single-season sack record (Kennard has 10.5; Clowney had 13 in 2012). Clowney also is the only former Nagurski finalist from the University of South Carolina.

Kennard also is a finalist for the Lombardi Award and the Walter Camp National Player of the Year honor.

The FWAA will choose from Kennard and three other finalists at the Bronko Nagurski Award Banquet on December 9th.

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From the Football Writers Association of America press release:

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FWAA) – Four finalists for the 2024 Bronko Nagurski Trophy representing two conferences, one of them a top pass defender off a top-five team in the current College Football Playoff rankings and the other three among this season’s top offensive backfield disrupters, were named Friday as candidates for the award honoring the nation’s top defensive player by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club.

Two defensive ends, a defensive tackle, and a hybrid cornerback make up the list. Two of the schools represented have had Bronko Nagurski Trophy winners in their past.

The finalists are Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron, Penn State defensive end Adbul Carter, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, and South Carolina edge rusher Kyle Kennard.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy recipient will be chosen from these four finalists. The FWAA All-America Committee selects the national defensive player of the year who is part of the 2024 FWAA All-America Team and presented the trophy at the 30th Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet on Dec. 9 in Charlotte, N.C.

Here is more information on the 2024 finalists:

Jahdae Barron, DB, Texas (#7, 5-11, 200, Sr., Austin, Texas): Barron’s play on the Texas defense is fitting to the title of the position he plays – STAR. Not quite a lineman, not quite a defensive back and not fitting into a specific defensive space within the normal lexicon, Barron is perhaps best classified as a nemesis. The hometown senior is rarely thrown against but has eight pass breakups, tied for the 13th-best mark nationally. Barron is Texas’ top playmaker, fifth on the team with 38 total tackles, 24 of them solo, and leading the Longhorns with four interceptions, tied for 8th in the FBS. This STAR lines up everywhere, but he also has one start at cornerback and one at free safety.

Texas has had two Bronko Nagurski Trophy winners in its past, defensive end Brian Orakpo (2008) and linebacker Derrick Johnson (2004). Barron is the Longhorns’ first finalist since defensive tackle Malcolm Brown in 2014. Barron is coached by defensive line coach Kenny Baker.

Adbul Carter, DE, Penn State (#11, 6-3, 252, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa.): Carter is a fierce competitor and a top talent on the edge of Penn State’s defensive front. He sits second in the FBS (and leads the Big Ten) with 17.5 tackles for loss and is seventh nationally (2nd in Big Ten) with 8.0 sacks. Carter made the switch from linebacker to defensive end this season and has been a terror. Carter was named the Bronko Nagurski National Player of the Week after a Sept. 28 win over Illinois in which he had a career-high four tackles for loss – a first at Penn State since 2018 – and two sacks, including a strip-sack.

Penn State has not had a Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner but claims five prior finalists. Carter is the first finalist since 2015 (defensive end Carl Nassib) and only the second linebacker (LaVar Arrington, 1999). Carter is coached by defensive line coach Deion Barnes.

Mason Graham, DT, Michigan (#55, 6-3, 320, Jr., Mission Viejo, Calif.): An anchor and stalwart returning from Michigan’s 2023 national title team, Graham leads the Wolverines’ interior defense with 37.0 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks at the center of the nation’s 10th-best run defense (102.4 ypg). His tall size for his position helps him harass opposing quarterbacks – Graham has 11 career pass breakups knocking down passes at the line. He had a career-best six tackles and a sack against USC this season and three tackles against Texas’ formidable front early in the season.

Michigan has one Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner in its past, cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997. The Wolverine’s last finalist – one of three besides Woodson – was linebacker Devin Bush in 2018. Graham is the first finalist from Michigan’s defensive line. Graham is coached by defensive line coach Lou Esposito.

Kyle Kennard, EDGE, South Carolina (#5, 6-5, 254, Sr., Atlanta, Ga.): South Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton White was already blessed with eight returning defensive starters coming into 2024. Then he added Kyle Kennard on the edge of his “Flex-Nickel” defensive mix and the results have been one of the top defenses in school history. Kennard, in his first season at South Carolina after four at Georgia Tech, leads the SEC with 10.5 sacks (5th in FBS) and with 14.5 tackles for loss (4th). The 10.5 sacks are almost one-third of USC’s 35 overall sacks that are second in the SEC and third nationally, and list Carter second on Carolina’s single-season top-10 sacks list, 2.5 sacks shy of Jadeveon Clowney’s school record of 13.0. He’s currently sixth for single-season tackles for loss and has forced three fumbles.

South Carolina has not had a Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner. Its lone prior finalist was Clowney in 2012. Kennard is coached by outside linebackers and defensive ends coach Sterling Lucas.

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.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.

The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, North Carolina region. Since its inception, the club has grown as well as diversified boasting a sponsor team of more than (80) companies. The Club’s activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding Citizenship, Scholarship, Sportsmanship, and Leadership of area athletes and coaches. Through individual and corporate support, more than $3,000,000 has been raised and donated to benefit the Touchdown Club’s scholarship efforts.

Coca-Cola Consolidated is the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. Our purpose is to honor God in all we do, to serve others, to pursue excellence and to grow profitably. For over 121 years, we have been deeply committed to the consumers, customers and communities we serve and passionate about the broad portfolio of beverages and services we offer. We make, sell and distribute beverages of The Coca-Cola Company and other partner companies in more than 300 brands and flavors across 14 states and the District of Columbia, to approximately 60 million consumers. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Coca-Cola Consolidated is traded on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “COKE”. More information about the Company is available at cokeconsolidated.com. Follow Coca-Cola Consolidated on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at [email protected].

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