Kyle Van Noy named to 2013 Bronko Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list
Nagurski Trophy presented annually to nation’s top defensive player
PROVO, Utah – BYU All-American linebacker Kyle Van Noy has been named to the 2013 Bronko Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list unveiled today by the Football Writers Association of America.
Van Noy is one of the 81 players and 27 linebackers on the watch list, which also includes 28 defensive linemen and 26 defensive backs. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is awarded annually to the national defensive player of the year by the FWAA and Charlotte Touchdown Club.
Also a candidate for the 2013 Bednarik Award, which likewise honors the nation’s top defensive player, Van Noy is a repeat selection to the Nagurski Trophy watch list. Coming off an All-America season in 2012, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound outside linebacker finished tied for second nationally with 13 sacks and six forced fumbles and ranked No. 4 in the nation with 22 tackles for loss. From Reno, Nev., he is the only FBS player in each of the past two seasons to record a stat in every major defensive category and has helped BYU achieve bowl wins each of his three seasons in Provo.
Every NCAA Division I Bowl Subdivision conference and independents BYU and Notre Dame are represented on the 2013 preseason watch list. Players may be added or removed from the list during the course of the season. The FWAA will choose a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week each Tuesday throughout the season. If not already on the list, the honored player will be added at that time.
Headlining the preseason watch list is South Carolina junior defensive end Jadeveon Clowney as the lone returning finalist from last season. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner is chosen from five finalists who are part of the FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects the 25-man team and the Bronko Nagurski finalists. The finalists will be selected on Nov. 21. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner.
The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet will be held on Dec. 9 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. The FWAA has named the 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 and then became a star for the Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw “Bronko” Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,300 men and women who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all areas that involve the game. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com or 972-713-6198.
The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate and professional football in the Charlotte, N.C. region. The club’s activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship and leadership of area athletes and coaches. For more information, contact John Rocco at jrocco@touchdownclub.com or 704-347-2918.
2013 BRONKO NAGURSKI TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is presented to the National Defensive Player of the Year
by the Charlotte Touchdown Club and the Football Writers Association of America.
Linemen (28)
Jeremiah Attaochu, Georgia Tech
Deion Barnes, Penn State
Calvin Barnett, Oklahoma State
Morgan Breslin, USC
Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
Scott Crichton, Oregon State
Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
Dominique Easley, Florida
Devonte Fields, TCU
Ben Gardner, Stanford
Ra’Shede Hageman, Minnesota
Kerry Hyder, Texas Tech
Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas
Timmy Jernigan, Florida State
Anthony Johnson, LSU
Demarcus Lawrence, Boise State
Aaron Lynch, USF
Kareem Martin, North Carolina
Daniel McCullers, Tennessee
Louis Nix III, Notre Dame
Roosevelt Nix, Kent State
Marcus Rush, Michigan State
Tyler Scott, Northwestern
Chris Smith, Arkansas
Will Sutton, Arizona State
Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame
Nikita Whitlock, Wake Forest
Leonard Williams, USC
Linebackers (27)
Anthony Barr, UCLA
Greg Blair, Cincinnati
Chris Borland, Wisconsin
Carl Bradford, Arizona State
Jonathan Brown, Illinois
Max Bullough, Michigan State
Bryce Hager, Baylor
Jordan Hicks, Texas
Adrian Hubbard, Alabama
Andrew Jackson, Western Kentucky
Shawn Jackson, Tulsa
A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
Christian Jones, Florida State
Eric Kendricks, UCLA
Shaun Lewis, Oklahoma State
Khalil Mack, Buffalo
James Morris, Iowa
C.J. Mosley, Alabama
Trent Murphy, Stanford
Denzel Nkemdiche, Ole Miss
Kevin Pierre-Louis, Boston College
Hayes Pullard, USC
Ryan Shazier, Ohio State
Shayne Skov, Stanford
Yawin Smallwood, Connecticut
Jack Tyler, Virginia Tech
Kyle Van Noy, BYU
Backs (26)
Ricardo Allen, Purdue
Deion Belue, Alabama
Bene Benwikere, San Jose State
Tre Boston, North Carolina
Christian Bryant, Ohio State
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama
Ross Cockrell, Duke
Aaron Colvin, Oklahoma
Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State
Quandre Diggs, Texas
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon
Antone Exum, Virginia Tech
Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State
Andre Hal, Vanderbilt
Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State
Craig Loston, LSU
Terrance Mitchell, Oregon
Marco Nelson, Tulsa
Loucheiz Purifoy, Florida
Ed Reynolds, Stanford
Bradley Roby, Ohio State
Hakeem Smith, Louisville
Damian Swann, Georgia
Jason Verrett, TCU
Nickoe Whitley, Mississippi State
Ty Zimmerman, Kansas State