UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State senior safety Jaquan Brisker has been named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, it was announced on Tuesday.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from those five finalists and honored at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet presented by LendingTree on Dec. 6 at the Charlotte Convention Center. 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.
Jaquan Brisker
- Has played in 22 career games, making nine starts.
- Earned All-American first team honors from Pro Football Focus in 2020.
- Was an honorable mention All-American by Phil Steele.
- Named an All-Big Ten third team selection by the coaches and honorable mention by the media.
- Garnered Pro Football Focus All-Big Ten first team honors.
- Earned Phil Steele All-Big Ten second team laurels.
- Tallied six pass breakups in 2020, good for a tie for seventh in the Big Ten.
- Seven passes defended were tied for 11th in the league.
- Finished 12th in the Big Ten for solo tackles (33).
- Was 15th in the conference in total tackles (57) and third among defensive backs
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. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org and @NCFAA on Twitter to learn more about the association.
Penn State Football Preseason Honors/Watch Lists
Jaquan Brisker: Bednarik Award, Jim Thorpe Award, Nagurski Trophy
Sean Clifford: Allstate Good Works Team Nominee
Noah Cain: Doak Walker Award
Jahan Dotson: Maxwell Award, Biletnikoff Award, Big Ten Player to Watch
James Franklin: Dodd Trophy
Keyvone Lee: Doak Walker Award
John Lovett: Doak Walker Award
Jesse Luketa: Butkus Award
Brandon Smith: Butkus Award
Brenton Strange: Mackey Award
Penn State's season opener on Sept. 4 at Wisconsin will kick off at noon on FOX. The Nittany Lions will make their return to Beaver Stadium on Sept. 11 vs. Ball State, a 3:30 p.m. ET start on FS1. Penn State's 2021 schedule with updated kick times and TV designations can be found here: https://bit.ly/3fVFuhc.
The 2021 Penn State Football season is presented by PSECU.