Nwokobia on Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Nwokobia earns spot on Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List

DALLAS (SMU) – SMU safety Isaiah Nwokobia was selected for the 2025 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) unveiled in a release on Tuesday.

For the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List, the FWAA selected 60 defensive standouts as contenders for the national defensive player of the year. The list contains players from 41 different schools in eight Division I FBS conferences plus Independents.

Nwokobia is the only ACC safety named to the watch list with only eight safeties being named across all conferences. The Big 12 has 10 total selections, followed by the ACC (7), Mountain West and Sun Belt (3 each), American and Independents (2 each) and the Mid-American (1).

Dynamic in SMU's defense, Nwokobia was one of two Mustangs to record 100-or-more tackles in the 2024 season. The team posted the second-best rushing defense in program history, allowing just 100.2 yards per game on the ground. The mark was good for seventh best in the FBS and tops in the conference.

The Texas native played a crucial role in bringing the Mustangs to their first College Football Playoffs (CFP) after earning a perfect 8-0 ACC record. SMU's defense was elite in all three facets during the historic 2024 season, ranking in the top 25 in the FBS in multiple different categories including: defensive touchdowns (5th, 4), rushing defense (7th, 100.2), team sacks (10th, 3.07), passes intercepted (14th, 16), fourth down conversion pct. defense (17th, .415), tackles for loss (17th, 7.1), third down conversion pct. defense (19th, .330) and red zone defense (25th, .767).

For his efforts in 2024, he was named First Team All-ACC and All-America Honorable Mention by Phil Steele. This most recent honor is Nwokobia's seventh preseason recognition so far in 2025, already earning accolades like Phil Steele's All-ACC First Team and Walter Camp Preseason All-America Second Team.

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 more than 950 recipients since 1935.

The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce four finalists for the 2025 Bronko Nagurski Trophy in mid-to-late November, and the winner will be revealed at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet on Dec. 8 in Charlotte, N.C.