2015 Preseason Award Projections: Nagurski Award

By Charlie Campbell
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Heading into the 2015 college football season, WalterFootball.com will debut our projections for the nation’s leaders during the fall. The All-American teams always have some surprises, and the next fall’s stars could be the headline players next May for the 2016 NFL Draft. We also will project the winners of the postseason awards that are given out to the best of college football.

The Bronco Nagurski Award is given to the best defensive player in college football. Last year’s winner was Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright.

Bronko Nagurski Award Winner:

Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State

The Nagurski Award has an inclination to go with defensive linemen or linebackers. Only one defensive back has won the award this century (Oklahoma safety Roy Williams in 2001). Thus, I won’t be picking any defensive backs in these three slots. It also has been 20 years since a player won it in back-to-back seasons (Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald), so that rules out Wright.

Bosa easily could have won this award last year. He was a dominant force for the Buckeyes in 2014 and was the defensive cornerstone for the National Champs. Bosa recorded 55 tackles with 13.5 sacks, 21 tackles for a loss, four forced fumbles and pass defended. He simply lived in opponents’ backfields.

The 6-foot-5, 285-pounder has quickness to go with natural strength. Don’t be surprised if Bosa has a massive 2015 season even though teams will be selling out to stop him and he will see steady double-teams. Bosa is just that much better than the competition in the Big Ten. He could easily produce another huge year and add to the list of defensive linemen to win the Nagurski Award.




Bronko Nagurski Award Runner-Up:

Myles Jack, OLB, UCLA

Jack was a freshman phenom at UCLA in 2013 and followed it up with a superb sophomore season. Jack’s superstar 2013 saw him named the Pac-12’s Offensive AND Defensive Freshman of the Year. On the defensive side of the ball, he had 75 tackles with 11 passes broken up and two interceptions. His pass-coverage skills for a freshman were outstanding. On offense, Jack played running back because of injuries. He ran for 267 yards on 38 carries (7.0 average) with seven touchdowns. As a sophomore, Jack racked up 87 tackles with eight tackles for a loss, seven passes broken up, one interception and one forced fumble. His natural pass-coverage skills are extremely impressive.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Jack has a massive junior year and explodes in his production on the defensive side of the ball. With linebacker Eric Kendricks and defensive end Owa Odighizuwa in the NFL, Jack could be the player who steps up from a tackle and pass-rush total perspective. That could lead to him winning lots of honors like the Nagurski Award.




Bronko Nagurski Award Dark Horse:

Jaylon Smith, LB, Notre Dame

The Nagurski Award has a slight lean toward linebackers, so I went with another productive linebacker over a defensive lineman. Notre Dame’s 2014 defense was a tough unit led by a number of players who will be playing on Sundays. Perhaps the best of the bunch was Smith. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder had a huge presence for the Fighting Irish and was consistently making plays for the defense. He showed a nice combination of speed, athleticism, size and instincts.

Smith totaled 112 tackles with nine tackles for a loss, one forced fumble, 3.5 sacks, and two passes defended. He was only a sophomore in 2014, so he could easily take his game to another level as an upperclassman. Starring another season for Notre Dame will get Smith plenty of notice, and he could make a strong case for the Nagurski Award.

Honorable Mentions: Nebraska DT Maliek Collins, Ole Miss DE Robert Nkemdiche, Baylor DE Shawn Oakman, Oregon DE DeForest Buckner, Michigan State DE Shilique Calhoun, Florida CB Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida State S Jalen Ramsey, Florida State S Nate Andrews, Alabama ILB Reggie Ragland, Virginia Tech CB Kendall Fuller and Alabama defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson.











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