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July 12, 2012

DALLAS - The 2012 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List features the best and brightest of the upcoming season's defensive players, including Auburn senior defensive end Corey Lemonier.

One of 84 players on the list most likely will receive the Bronko Nagurski Trophy that is awarded annually to the nation's best defensive player by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. Every NCAA Division I Bowl Subdivision conference and independents BYU and Notre Dame are represented on the list.

Players may be added or deleted from the Bronko Nagurski Watch List during the season. For the 12th consecutive season, the FWAA will choose a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week. If a recipient is not on the Watch List, he will be added. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Nov. 15.

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 eventually the Bronko Nagurski finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner, the best defensive player in America.

The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet presented by ACN will be Dec. 3 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. Besides the 2012 winner being announced, the banquet will also celebrate the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award presented by Florida East Coast Railway. Nebraska's Larry Jacobson, an end from the FWAA's 1971 All-American team, will be honored. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly will be the keynote speaker at the banquet.

2012 BRONKO NAGURSKI TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST (84)

CB Johnny Adams, Michigan State

CB Ricardo Allen, Purdue

CB David Amerson, N.C. State

LB Dion Bailey, USC

CB Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State

LB Chris Borland, Wisconsin

LB Travis Brown, Fresno State

LB Jonathan Brown, Illinois

LB Arthur Brown, Kansas State

CB Brodrick Brown, Oklahoma State

DE Michael Buchanan, Illinois

LB Max Bullough, Michigan State

CB Carrington Byndom, Texas

DE Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina

LB Jamie Collins, Southern Miss

S Matt Elam, Florida

DT Sharrif Floyd, Florida

CB Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech

DE William Gholston, Michigan State

LB Khaseem Greene, Rutgers

LB Steve Greer, Virginia

DT Johnathan Hankins, Ohio State

LB Gerald Hodges, Penn State

S Jarred Holley, Pittsburgh

CB Demontre Hurst, Oklahoma

CB Micah Hyde, Iowa

LB Andrew Jackson, Western Kentucky

DE Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas

S Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma

DE Brandon Jenkins, Florida State

DL John Jenkins, Georgia

LB Nico Johnson, Alabama

DE Travis Johnson, San Jose State

LB Jarvis Jones, Georgia

DE Dion Jordan, Oregon

S Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State

LB A.J. Klein, Iowa State

LB Jake Knott, Iowa State

S Jordan Kovacs, Michigan

DE Corey Lemonier, Auburn

S Robert Lester, Alabama

DE Kapron Lewis-Moore, Notre Dame

DT Rob Lohr, Vanderbilt

LB Travis Long, Washington State

DT Star Lotulelei, Utah

LB Khalil Mack, Buffalo

LB Trent Mackey, Tulane

CB Nigel Malone, Kansas State

DE Stansly Maponga, TCU

CB Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

S Dexter McCoil, Tulsa

S T.J. McDonald, USC

CB Leon McFadden, San Diego State

CB Dee Milliner, Alabama

DE Barkevious Mingo, LSU

DE Sam Montgomery, LSU

LB C.J. Mosley, Alabama

DT Roosevelt Nix, Kent State

DE Alex Okafor, Texas

LB Kevin Pierre-Louis, Boston College

LB Sean Porter, Texas A&M

CB Jordan Poyer, Oregon State

LB Kevin Reddick, North Carolina

S Eric Reid, LSU

CB Xavier Rhodes, Florida State

CB Nickell Robey, USC

DT Kawann Short, Purdue

DE John Simon, Ohio State

LB Shayne Skov, Stanford

S Hakeem Smith, Louisville

DE Devin Taylor, South Carolina

LB Bruce Taylor, Virginia Tech

LB Mike Taylor, Wisconsin

LB Manti Te'o, Notre Dame

LB Chase Thomas, Stanford

S Kenny Vaccaro, Texas

LB Kyle Van Noy, BYU

DT Joe Vellano, Maryland

DE Bjoern Werner, Florida State

DL Jesse Williams, Alabama

DE Trevardo Williams, Connecticut

LB Dwayne Woods, Bowling Green

LB Tom Wort, Oklahoma

By conference: SEC (19), Big Ten (14), Big 12 (13), ACC (11), Pac-12 (10), Big East (4), Conference USA (3), Independents (3), MAC (3), Mountain West (2), Sun Belt (1), WAC (1).

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 the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.

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