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.
South Carolina edge rusher Kyle Kennard earns the 2024 Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Kennard's honors give the Southeastern Conference a Nagurski Trophy winner for the third time in four seasons and the fifth time since 2016.
Kennard, a 6-5, 254-pound senior from Atlanta, Ga., is the first Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner from South Carolina. He was chosen from a finalist field that also included Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter and Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. South Carolina’s only previous Bronko Nagurski finalist was defensive end Jadeveon Clowney in 2012 during his sophomore season.
Kennard posted 15.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks during the 2024 regular season, the top marks in the Southeastern Conference. The 15.5 traps behind the line have resulted in 112 yards lost to opponents and tied for 13th in the nation. The 11.5 sacks are sixth in the FBS. Kennard created 10 quarterback hurries and forced three fumbles, recovered two fumbles and has 28 total tackles on the season.
South Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton White added 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, quickly became one of the SEC’s terrors on the outside, standing out among a mix of outstanding edge rushers in the conference. His 11.5 sacks are just over a quarter of South Carolina’s 40 overall sacks that are second in the SEC and tied for third nationally.
Kennard is certain to be among the top players recognized on the All-SEC teams to be released Tuesday. He becomes South Carolina’s first FWAA All-American since 2018 (kick returner Deebo Samuel) and its first First-Team All-American and first on defense since Clowney in 2012.
Kennard placed second on Carolina’s single-season top-10 sacks list, 1.5 sacks shy of Clowney’s school record of 13.0, and fourth in single-season tackles for loss. His next TFL will move him into third place. Kennard is ninth among active FBS players with 24.0 career sacks.
Kennard along with teammate defensive end Dylan Stewart have each forced three fumbles, tied for 12th in the FBS, as South Carolina’s 18 forced fumbles are the program’s highest total since at least 1990 according to school data. The Gamecocks forced just eight fumbles during the 2023 season.
Kennard is coached by outside linebackers and defensive ends coach Sterling Lucas and now becomes just the second South Carolina player to win one of the National College Football Awards Association’s awards, joining 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers.
South Carolina accepted a bid Sunday to play in the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31, facing Illinois. Kennard has accepted an invitation to play in the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl on Feb. 1, 2025.
Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun earns Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week
Igbinosun had the interception to go with a pass break up and four tackles in Ohio State’s (7-1) win that kept it in contention for the Big Ten title. But it was his signature defensive effort in the second-to-last play before halftime that Buckeye fans will remember turning the game.
Ohio State led 14-10 in the final minute of the second quarter as Penn State quarterback Drew Allar lofted a pass into the end zone again for Wallace along the right sideline. Wallace got his hands on the ball as he and Ogbinosun both went to the ground falling outside the boundary, yet Ogbinosun came up holding the ball.
The play was initially ruled an incomplete pass. But after review, Igbinosun was shown to pull the ball away from Wallace, while also managing to keep a foot inbounds with possession to reel in an interception on the scoring threat, overturning the on-field call.
Instead of giving up a go-ahead touchdown, Ohio State managed a touchback to keep the lead it held the rest of the game, winning 20-13. Ogbinosun’s coverage got a 90.5 grade by Pro Football Focus and earned him a second pick on the season, tied for the team lead with All-America candidate Denzel Burke.
Igbinosun , a 6-2 corner from Union, N.J., is ninth on the team in total tackles with 24, 15 of them solos. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten player in the secondary last season when he was third on the team in total tackles with 59 and solo tackles at 39.
The Buckeyes play host to Purdue (1-7) at noon Saturday on FOX.
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter posted a career-high four tackles for loss as well as two sacks as the Nittany Lions won their Big Ten Conference opener, 21-7. For his efforts in shutting down the upstart Illini, Carter earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games played the weekend of Sept. 28, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
The 6-3 junior from Philadelphia made the switch from linebacker to defensive end this season. The sacks and TFL’s against Illinois earned Carter the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor, and he is currently tied for the Big Ten lead with 6.5 tackles for loss, 18th nationally, and is tied for fourth in the conference with three sacks.
Carter now has four career games with 2-plus tackles for loss and three games with 2-plus sacks in this his third season at Penn State. He also owns 123 tackles (73 solo), 22.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, four forced fumbles, an interception and 10 pass breakups in his career. He was one of 13 Nittany Lions defenders to earn All-Big Ten honors in 2023.
Penn State hosts UCLA at noon ET Saturday on FOX.
Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week is Navy's linebacker Colin Ramos. Ramos made 20 tackles Saturday while facing No. 23 Memphis, his 20 tackles is the highest total by any player in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season.
Ramos’ 20 tackles are the most by a Navy player since Ross Pospisil had 20 vs. NIU in 2007. The 5-11, 210-pound senior from Wayne, N.J., posted Navy's only two tackles for a loss, as well as the only sack, he added a pass in the end zone that saved a touchdown.
Ramos is averaging 15.0 tackles per game on the year, which is second in the FBS.
The team co-captain has seen action in 32 games during his career, including 24 starts, and has earned three varsity letters. He will likely make his 200th career tackles this weekend at UAB (currently has 198), and perhaps a 20th tackle for loss (18.5 for now).
Ramos led Navy with 110 tackles last fall, the most by any Navy player in ten seasons, before earning 2023 First-Team All-American Athletic Conference and All-East honors. Ramos was a member of the FWAA’s Bronko Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list for he 2024 season..
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. This season, 13 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.
Oklahoma defensive lineman R Mason Thomas earned Thomas the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week
Thomas, a 6-2, 243-pound junior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., had been selected earlier last week as one of OU’s five game captains and he turned in the finest game of his career following the recognition. Each of his sacks came in the fourth quarter with the Sooners protecting a narrow lead. He also forced a fumble that he recovered and added a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.
In one series, Thomas recorded a sack on first down, a pass breakup on third down and another sack on fourth down. The forced fumble and recovery were the first of his career. He entered the game with 2.5 career sacks and 4.5 TFLs.
Thomas' performance was key to Oklahoma holding a Tulane offense that racked up 491 yards the previous week against Kansas State to just 279 total yards. In the second half as it held firm following a 21-6 lead at the half, the Sooners defense held Tulane to just 116 yards in part with its seven tackles for loss and Thomas’ three sacks. After Tulane got to within five points at 24-19 early in the fourth quarter, the Sooners forced a three-and-out, got an interception, logged a turnover on downs and recovered a fumble (by Thomas) to close the game.
On their final four possessions, the Green Wave managed just 33 yards on 16 plays (a 2.1 average).
Thomas now has a team-high 4.0 tackles for loss for the Sooners and his 3.0 sacks not only lead the team but tie for 12th nationally this week.
Oklahoma has had two Bronko Nagurski Trophy winners in its past – cornerback Derrick Strait in 2003 and safety Roy Williams in 2001. They also had finalists for the award in each of those seasons – defensive tackle Tommie Harris in 2003 and linebacker Rocky Calmus in 2001.
The Sooners host one of the weekend’s feature contests Saturday in their initial Southeastern Conference game taking on No. 6/7 Tennessee (3-0). ESPN College GameDay will be onsite prior to kickoff on ABC at 7:30 p.m. ET.
NIU'S O'MALLEY EARNS BRONKO NAGURSKI TROPHY NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
NIU defensive tackle Devonte O’Malley registered a pair of sacks and forced a fumble that aided in the Huskies’ dramatic 16-14 win at No. 5 Notre Dame last Saturday. For helping contain the Irish at home, O’Malley earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Sept. 7, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
The 6-2, 293-pound senior from Midlothian, Ill., also had three tackles for loss among four solo tackles as NIU (2-0) pulled off the biggest upset of the young season. The two sacks matched O’Malley’s career-best when he notched a pair against Eastern Michigan in 2002.
The defensive pressure up front bolstered the Huskies to hold Notre Dame to 123 rushing yards on 28 carries and 163 passing yards while pressuring Irish quarterback Riley Leonard all day. Notre Dame (286 yards to NIU’s 388) was outgained by more than 100 yards at home for only the fourth time in the last 15 years.
O’Malley’s 3.5 tackles for loss on the season tie him for 25th nationally in this week’s listings.
Sparked by O’Malley and its defense, NIU’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2015 and its first win over a ranked non-conference opponent since 2003 also earned the Huskies the Cheez-It National Team of the Week for the Sept. 7 weekend as selected by the All-America Committee of the FWAA.
O’Malley is the second NIU player to earn the weekly Bronko Nagurski Trophy honor. NIU defensive end Larry English earned the award the week of Sept. 22, 2007, when he had five sacks and five quarterback pressures in a win at Idaho. The Huskies do not have any previous finalists or winners of the postseason award.
UNLV linebacker Jackson Woodard named Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week.
The 6-3, 230-pound senior from Little Rock, Ark., had four tackles for loss that lost 28 yards for Houston. Three of those were sacks, already surpassing his 2023 season total and placing Woodard tied for the national lead this week with one other player. The 2024 Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference posted a game-high 11 tackles, seven of them solos, and also had a pass breakup as Houston gained only 247 yards of total offense and only 38 on the ground.
Woodard was a 2023 First Team All-MW selection after ranking third in the conference with 117 total tackles last fall.
Woodard was the first Rebels football player in history named CSC First Team Academic All-America and he’s UNLV’s 2024 nominee for both the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy and AFCA Good Works Team.
Woodard is the first UNLV player to earn the weekly Bronko Nagurski Trophy honor since Jamaal Brimmer in 2003 in an upset of Wisconsin.
UNLV opens its home schedule Saturday hosting Utah Tech at 12 p.m. PT on the Mountain West Network.