Tag: Bronco Nagurski Award

Pair of Oregon Duck defenders on Bronco Nagurski Award watchlist

Pair of Oregon Duck defenders, Jabbar Muhammad and Jeffrey Bassa, are on the Bronco Nagurski Award watchlist.

The Bronco Nagurski Award has been handed out since 1999 and has become the premier defensive award in college football.

Cornerback Jabbar Muhammad and linebacker Jeffrey Bassa are both on the Nagurski Award watchlist for the 2024 season.

Muhammed is the newest Duck after making the rare transition from being a Washington Husky to an Oregon Duck. The Huskies’ loss will certainly be the Ducks’ gain as Muhammad was the top cornerback in the Pac-12 last season.

In Washington’s championship run, the senior corner had 46 tackles and three interceptions in his one and only season in Seattle. He also had 17 passes defended.

As for Bassa, the decorated Oregon linebacker goes from one of the top Pac-12 defenders to one of the best linebackers in the Big Ten. Last season, Bassa had 72 tackles, 3.5 for loss and one interception.

Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts won the award last season.

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Kyle Hamilton, three other Notre Dame players launch podcast

A few Irish players are trying their hands at a new venture.

This has been a busy week for Kyle Hamilton. First, he was named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list for the nation’s best defensive back. Then, he and Notre Dame defensive lineman Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa made the Bronco Nagurski Award watch list, which is given to the best overall defensive player. Now, he and three other Irish teammates are getting into the podcast game.

Hamilton has launched a podcast called “Inside the Garage” along with receiver Conor Ratigan, cornerback Cam Hart and safety KJ Wallace. The podcast, which is available wherever you can find podcasts and on YouTube, is hosted on The Volume, a podcast network founded by Colin Cowherd. Cowherd himself promotes the podcast in this video:

The name of the podcast comes from the fact that it will be record from the garage of the off-campus house in which all four players live. The first episode now is available, and two episodes will be released every week. It will be interesting to hear insights that surely wouldn’t have been possible before the new NIL rules took effect.

Owusu-Koarmoah, White on Watch List for Bronco Nagurski Trophy

Hopes are high for Notre Dame’s defense in 2020, especially in the case of the linebacker corps.

Hopes are high for Notre Dame’s defense in 2020, especially in the case of the linebacker corps. Irish seniors Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Drew White have been named to this year’s Bronco Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The award goes to college football’s top defensive player.

Owusu-Koramoah and White tied for the team lead in tackles last season (80), and both played in every game. Owusu-Koramoah had three nine-tackle games and was named to the ESPN All-Bowl Team after recording three sacks in the Camping World Bowl. He led the Irish with 13.5 tackles for loss in 2019.

White’s 11 tackles against Michigan were a Notre Dame high for last season. He also recorded 10 tackles apiece vs. Boston College and Navy. He finished 2019 with eight tackles for loss.

The watch list for the award can change throughout the season. In the end, five finalists will compete for the right to be named the National Defensive Player of the Year. The winner will be voted on by the FWAA All-America Committee.

TBT – Luke Kuechly’s Oddly Consistent Production vs. Notre Dame

Kuechly and Boston College went 0-3 in three games against Notre Dame between 2009 and 2011.  However, Kuechly’s stat-line in those three games was incredibly consistent.

The biggest story in the NFL this week aside from preparation for the AFC and NFC Conference Championship games has been the sudden decision by Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly to retire.

Kuechly was a terror for the Panthers, twice leading the league in tackles while averaging 136.5 per season for his eight year career, intercepting 18 passes in his career and averaging more than half a tackle-for-loss each game he suited up for.

His NFL resume includes seven Pro Bowl selections, five appearances as a first-team All-Pro, three Butkus Awards and he was the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year.

It’s easy to forget but in no way a surprise, Kuechly was a monster on an otherwise entirely-forgettable Boston College team that went 19-19 in his three seasons in Chestnut Hill (2009-11).

During his time at BC, Kuechly walked away with the 2011 ACC Defensive Player of the Year award, as well as the Bronco Nagurski, Butkus, Lombardi and Lott Trophy Awards the same season.  To boot he was a two-time Consensus All-American.

Kuechly and Boston College went 0-3 in three games against Notre Dame between 2009 and 2011.  However, Kuechly’s stat-line in those three games was incredibly consistent.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNJHAq_igwU&w=560&h=315]

2009:  Notre Dame 20, Boston College 16 at Notre Dame Stadium
Kuechly – 14 tackles (7 solo, 7 assists), 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass defended

2010:  Notre Dame 31, Boston College 13 at Alumni Stadium
Kuechly – 14 tackles, (7 solo, 7 assists), 1 tackle for loss

2011:  Notre Dame 16, Boston College 14 at Notre Dame Stadium
Kuechly – 14 tackles (7 solo, 7 assists), 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass defended

I’m not a mathmatician but it’s pretty easy to figure out his averages in those three games.  So easy in fact that I’ll let you do it yourselves.

Congrats on one helluva career, Luke.

Ohio State DE Chase Young named a finalist for the Bronco Nagurski Trophy

The Ohio State football star defensive end Chase Young has been named one of five finalists for the Bronco Nagurski Trophy.

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Chase Young, the third-year defensive end from the Ohio State University, has been named a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, an award given annually to the nation’s top defender.

Young may not be just the top defender in the nation this year, but he certainly has a claim to be one of the most dominant collegiate defensive ends of all time.

The projected top-three pick is just 0.5 away from the single-season sack record at Ohio State. It’s also important to note he’s been suspended for the past two games which he easily could’ve amassed several more sacks.

That said, Ohio State announced early today on Twitter that Young’s one of five finalists for the trophy.

It’s fully expected that Young wins this award, and as you can see in the graphic, the Ohio State defense as a whole has been one of the most impressive in the country.