DALLAS (FWAA) – The Football Writers Association of America released its 2026 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List today, selecting three returning FWAA All-Americans among 68 defensive standouts as contenders for the national defensive player of the year. The list hosts players from 47 different schools and all 10 Division I FBS conferences plus Independents.
The linebacker who led the nation in tackles for loss last season, now with a different program, joins the three returning All-Americans to champion the list, along with four of the top 10 sack leaders from a year ago, three of top 12 in total tackles and two of the top interception leaders. Just under half (30 of 68) of its members hail from the Southeastern (17) and Big Ten (13) Conferences. The Atlantic Coast and Big 12 Conferences have 10 players each on the team.
The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the 2026 trophy on Nov. 19. The official presentation to the recipient of the 2026 Bronko Nagurski Trophy will be at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet in Charlotte, N.C. on Dec. 7.
Leonard Moore, a junior cornerback at Notre Dame, leads off the three returning FWAA All-Americans as a First Team choice and a Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalist last season. Moore tied for seventh nationally with five interceptions in 2025. John Henry Daley, a defensive end now playing at Michigan, was one of the FBS’ top defensive loss leaders last season while playing at Utah, rolling up 17.5 total tackles for loss, third nationally by average per game and fifth as a total. Daley earned Second Team FWAA All-America honors. Faletau Satuala, a safety at BYU who also earned Second Team honors, helped his team reach the Big 12 Championship Game spearheading the conference’s third-best defense.
Texas senior linebacker Rasheem Biles, one of the offseason’s top portal transfers moving from Pitt, is also on the list after leading the nation with 1.70 tackles for loss per game. Biles played in only 10 contests but his 17.0 total TFL’s tied for eighth in the FBS. He joins Texas linebacker Colin Simmons, another standout and a repeat member on this year's watch list, as the Longhorns’ pair of representatives.
Defending national champion Indiana leads all schools with four defenders on the watch list in linebackers Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones, defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker and safety Amare Ferrell. Including Satuala, BYU joins four other schools with three players each adding the Cougars’ linebacker Isaiah Glasker and transfer linebacker Cade Uluave (from Cal).
Texas Tech made headlines all last season with its defense and had the eventual 2025 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner, Jacob Rodriguez, at linebacker. The Red Raiders have three seniors on this year’s watch list in fellow linebacker Ben Roberts, defensive tackle A.J. Holmes Jr. and cornerback Brice Pollock. Holmes was voted the Big 12’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year at its Media Days last month. Oregon’s defense that dominated Texas Tech in last season’s College Football Playoff Quarterfinals, has a trio on the list as well in senior defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington, returning watch list member and safety Koi Perich and sophomore cornerback Brandon Finney Jr.
Miami, which lost to Indiana in last season’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game, returns a stout defense containing watch-listers Bryce Fitzgerald at safety, Ahmad Moten Sr. at defensive tackle and Damon Wilson II at defensive end. Fitzgerald’s six interceptions tied for second in the FBS last season.
Notre Dame, which had the 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner in safety Xavier Watts, has another prime candidate in the secondary with Moore at cornerback and his five interceptions from last season. The Fighting Irish are expecting a banner season on defense paced by other watch-listers linebacker Drayk Bowen and defensive tackle Boubacar Traore. Moore and Bowen are two of the 11 repeating selections on this year's watch list.
Alabama, Georgia, Louisville, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas each have two representatives on the list. South Carolina, which had the 2024 Bronko Nagurski winner with edge rusher Kyle Kennard, has junior defensive end Dylan Stewart returning to the watch list from last season. By conference, in addition to the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 members, the Mountain West, Pac-12 and Sun Belt had three each as did the Independents; and the American, Conference USA and Mid-American had two each.
New Mexico linebacker Jaxton Eck earned the Mountain West Conference’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year at its Media Days last month, as did Troy defensive end Donnie Smith within the Sun Belt Conference. Kennesaw State linebacker Baron Hopson was named CUSA’s prospective Defensive Player of the Year at its Media Days last month.
By position, the list has 21 linebackers, 16 safeties (including one designated nickel back), 13 defensive ends, 10 defensive tackles and eight cornerbacks.
Returning members from the 2025 watch list: KJ Bolden, Georgia; Drayk Bowen, Notre Dame; C.J. Fite, Arizona State; Kip Lewis, Oklahoma; Leonard Moore, Notre Dame; Koi Perich, Oregon; Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss; Colin Simmons, Texas; Dylan Stewart, South Carolina; Jayden Virgin-Morgan, Boise State; and Whit Weeks, LSU.
Players may be added or removed from the watch list during the course of the season. As in previous years, the FWAA will announce a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week each Tuesday this season. If not already on the watch list, each week’s honored player will be added at that time.
Following is the complete 2026 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List:
| 2026 BRONKO NAGURSKI PRESEASON WATCH LIST (68) | ||
| DE Melkart Abou Jaoude, North Carolina | LB Rolijah Hardy, Indiana | CB Ty Redmond, Tennessee |
| LB Xavier Atkins, Auburn | S Simeon Harris, Fresno State | LB Ben Roberts, Texas Tech |
| LB Rasheem Biles, Texas | DT A.J. Holmes Jr., Texas Tech | LB Kam Robinson, Virginia |
| S KJ Bolden, Georgia | LB Baron Hopson, Kennesaw State | LB Matt Rose, Stanford |
| LB Drayk Bowen, Notre Dame | S Bray Hubbard, Alabama | S Faletau Satuala, BYU |
| LB Sammy Brown, Clemson | DE Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Ohio State | DE Colin Simmons, Texas |
| LB Taye Brown, Arizona | CB Will James, Houston | DE Anthony Smith, Minnesota |
| CB Zabien Brown, Alabama | S Jamel Johnson, TCU | DE Donnie Smith, Troy |
| DT Kemari Copeland, Virginia Tech | LB Isaiah Jones, Indiana | DE Dylan Stewart, South Carolina |
| DE John Henry Daley, Michigan | CB Kelley Jones, Mississippi State | DT David Stone, Oklahoma |
| DT CJ Doggette Jr., Florida Atlantic | DE Dylan LaBarbera, Nevada | DE MJ Stroud, Georgia Southern |
| DT Will Echoles, Ole Miss | LB Kip Lewis, Oklahoma | S Jack Tchienchou, Tulane |
| LB Jaxton Eck, New Mexico | S Bryce Llewellyn, Eastern Michigan | DT Boubacar Traore, Notre Dame |
| S Koen Entringer, Louisville | DE Clev Lubin, Louisville | DT Tyrique Tucker, Indiana |
| CB Tre'Quon Fegans, Jax State | S Zach Lutmer, Iowa | LB Cade Uluave, BYU |
| S Amare Ferrell, Indiana | S Jaylen McClain, Ohio State | DE Princewill Umanmielen, LSU |
| CB Brandon Finney Jr., Oregon | CB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame | DE Jayden Virgin-Morgan, Boise State |
| DT C.J. Fite, Arizona State | DT Ahmad Moten Sr., Miami | DT A'Mauri Washington, Oregon |
| S Bryce Fitzgerald, Miami | S Koi Perich, Oregon | LB Whit Weeks, LSU |
| LB Blake Fletcher, Air Force | LB Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss | LB Raylen Wilson, Georgia |
| NB Josh Franklin, Western Michigan | LB Colton Phares, App State | DE Damon Wilson II, Miami |
| LB Isaiah Glasker, BYU | CB Brice Pollock, Texas Tech | LB Daniel Wingate, Maryland |
| S Brevin Hamblin, Utah State | S Marcus Ratcliffe, Texas A&M | |
The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association’s full membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalists. Committee members, by individual ballot, select the winner they regard as the best defensive player in college football.
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 college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored bearly 1,000 recipients since 1935.
Sixteen NCFAA members are unveiling preseason watch lists over a three-week period as the association spearheads a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Following is the remaining 2026 preseason watch list calendar:
Wed., Aug. 5: John Mackey Award
Thu., Aug. 6: Rimington Trophy
Fri., Aug. 7: Lou Groza Award
Mon., Aug. 10: Paul Hornung Award
Tue., Aug. 11: Allstate Wuerffel Trophy
Wed., Aug. 12: Paycom Jim Thorpe Award
Thu., Aug. 13: Butkus Award
Fri., Aug. 14: Ray Guy Award
Mon., Aug. 17: Walter Camp Award
Tue., Aug. 18: Doak Walker Award
Wed., Aug. 19: Biletnikoff Award
Thu., Aug. 20: Davey O’Brien Award
Fri., Aug. 21: Bednarik Award
For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA and Instagram @TheNCFAA.
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Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,200 men and women who cover college football. 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 game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.