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