UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State junior linebacker Micah Parsons and defensive end Shaka Toney have been named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, it was announced by the Charlotte Touchdown Club on Tuesday.
The award recognizes the National Defensive Player of the Year and Penn State is one of 15 schools with teammates on the watch list.
The winner of the 2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy presented by LendingTree as the National Defensive Player of the Year will be chosen from those five finalists. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association's full membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Nagurski Trophy finalists. Committee members, by individual ballot, select the winner they regard as the best defensive player in college football.
Micah Parsons Bio:
- 2019 Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year.
- Became the first sophomore in Big Ten history to win the award.
- 2019 first team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media.
- Named a Consensus All-American by the NCAA.
- Was a first team All-America selection by numerous outlets, including the Associated Press, USA Today, ESPN, the AFCA, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and Pro Football Focus.
- Earned additional All-America honors from by Sporting News, CBS Sports, the FWAA, Walter Camp Foundation, The Athletic and Phil Steele.
- Has six career forced fumbles, seventh all-time at Penn State.
- Tallied four forced fumbles in 2019, tied for fifth in a single season for the Nittany Lions.
- The four forced fumbles were tied for third in the Big Ten and tied for fifth nationally.
- Earned the 2019 Most Valuable Defensive Player at the team's awards banquet.
- Was a finalist for the Butkus Award and a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award.
- Appeared in 13 games in 2019, making 12 starts, and finished the season with 10 or more tackles in three-straight games and six of the final seven games.
- Secured 10 tackles and registered two tackles for loss in the win over Buffalo (9/7/19).
- In the victory over Pittsburgh (9/14/19), collected nine tackles, seven solo, and registered two tackles for loss, while adding a pass breakup and a QB hurry.
- Recorded two tackles for loss, a sack and five tackles in the win over Purdue (10/5/19).
- In the Michigan win (10/19/19), tied a career high with 14 tackles, including six solo, with eight of those 14 tackles holding Michigan to one or less yard.
- Collected 12 tackles and broke up a pass in the win at Michigan State (10/26/19).
- Secured 11 tackles, six solo, and tallied two TFLs and a sack at Minnesota (11/9/19).
- Recorded seven tackles and forced a fumble in the victory over Indiana (11/16/19).
- Registered 10 tackles at Ohio State (11/23/19), while adding two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a recovery.
- Made 10 tackles and added a solo sack in the Rutgers win (11/30/19).
- In the Cotton Bowl win over Memphis (12/28/19), registered a career-high three tackles for loss and two sacks, while also forcing two fumbles and adding a personal best two pass breakups.
- Tied a career high mark in tackles with 14 against the Tigers and was named to the AP All-Bowl Team, ESPN All-Bowl Team and Sports Illustrated All-Bowl Team.
Shaka Toney Bio:
- Tabbed 2019 All-Big Ten second team by the coaches.
- Named Phil Steele All-Big Ten third team.
- Selected Pro Football Focus All-Big Ten honorable mention.
- Made 13 starts in 2019 and was one of 18 Nittany Lions to make their first career start.
- Registered a solo sack in the Idaho win (8/31/19).
- Collected five tackles, including two solo, in the win over Pittsburgh (9/14/19), while also recoding a solo sack and a QB hurry.
- Registered three sacks in the Purdue win (10/5/19), his third career game with two or more sacks and his fifth career game with two or more tackles for loss
- Set a career high with seven tackles in the win over Michigan (10/19/19), assisting on a tackle for loss and a QB hurry.
- Collected four tackles and blocked a field goal in the first quarter in the win at Michigan State (10/26/19).
- Recorded three tackles and recovered a fumble in the third quarter, his first career fumble recovery, at Minnesota (11/9/19).
- Tallied three tackles, including two solo, and had a solo sack in the win over Indiana (11/16/19).
Penn State on 2020 Watch Lists
Bednarik Award: Micah Parsons
Biletnikoff Award: Pat Freiermuth
Bronko Nagurski Trophy: Micah Parsons and Shaka Toney
Butkus Award: Micah Parsons
Doak Walker Award: Journey Brown, Noah Cain
Jim Thorpe Award: Lamont Wade
John Mackey Award: Pat Freiermuth
O'Brien Award: Sean Clifford
Lott IMPACT Trophy: Micah Parsons