Barnett, Reeves-Maybin, Sutton On Nagurski Watch List
July 08, 2016 | Football
DALLAS -- Tennessee's Derek Barnett, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cameron Sutton have been named the 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, as announced by the Football Writers Association of America on Friday.
Preseason Watch Lists
Maxwell Award
Chuck Bednarik Award
Derek Barnett, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Cameron Sutton
Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Derek Barnett, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Cameron Sutton
Mackey Award
Outland Trophy
Ray Guy Award
Rimington Trophy
Earlier this week, Barnett, Reeves-Maybin and Sutton were named to the preseason watch list for the 22nd annual Chuck Bednarik Award.
Barnett is on the Nagurski preseason watch list for the second-straight year. An All-SEC second team selection after ranking third in the conference in sacks (10.0) last season, Barnett will enter his junior season tied for eighth in career sacks at Tennessee with 20. He currently trails the legendary Reggie White, UT's all-time sacks leader, by only 12. The Nashville native was third on the team in total tackles last season with 69. Barnett has been named a preseason 2016 Second Team All-American by Phil Steele, Lindy's and Sporting News and Lindy's ranks him as the No. 3 defensive end in the nation in its preseason publication.
Reeves-Maybin, one of the most consistent linebackers in the SEC, returns for his senior season after ranking seventh in the SEC in total tackles (105) and ninth in tackles per game (8.1) a year ago. Hailing from Clarksville, Tennessee, he has started in each of his last 26 games for Tennessee and was selected as a 2016 team captain by head coach Butch Jones at the DISH Orange & White Game in April. Reeves-Maybin led the Vols in both tackles and tackles-for-loss (14.0) in 2015, and turned heads when he racked up a career-best 21 tackles against Oklahoma in early September. Reeves-Maybin is a 2016 Phil Steele Preseason Third Team All-American and Lindy's ranks him as the No. 5 outside linebacker in the nation.
Sutton has started all 38 games of his career, including 13 games in 2015 in which he posted 28 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, an interception, two pass break-ups, and two forced fumbles. He is tied for fourth in career passes defended at Tennessee, recently surpassing Eric Berry (31). The Jonesboro, Georgia, native has also become a feared punt returner after leading the nation with 18.7 yards per return last season, earning AutoNation FWAA Second Team All-American and Sporting News First Team All-American honors. Over the last two years Sutton has returned three punts for touchdowns. Sutton has garnered preseason First Team All-American honors from Sporting News and preseason Second Team All-American honors from Lindy's. Phil Steele has tabbed Sutton for preseason Third Team All-American honors as both a cornerback and a punt returner and Lindy's ranks him as the No. 4 cornerback in the country.
The 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List that includes 88 defensive standouts from all 10 Division I FBS conferences. The Southeastern Conference led all conferences with 27 players, followed by the Big Ten (13), Pac-12 (13), ACC (11), Big 12 (10), Mid-American (4), Mountain West (3), American Athletic (2), Conference USA (2), Sun Belt (1) and Independents (2). The list includes 31 defensive backs, 29 linebackers and 21 defensive linemen (seven tackles, 21 ends).
Players may be added or removed from the watch list during the course of the season. Once again, the FWAA will announce a National Defensive Player of the Week from early September through mid November. If not already on the watch list, the honored player will be added at that time. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Thurs., Nov. 17.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from those five finalists who are part of the 2016 FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association's entire membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Nagurski Trophy finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner, the best defensive player in college football.
The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet, presented by ACN, will be held on Mon., Dec. 5 at the Charlotte Convention Center. In addition to the 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner's announcement, the banquet will also celebrate the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award, sponsored by the CTC and Florida East Coast Railway. Navy's Chet Moeller, a member of the FWAA's 1975 All-America Team and a College Football Hall of Famer, will be honored. Duke head coach David Cutcliffe will be the keynote speaker at the banquet.
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.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 22 awards boast over 722 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.
