NOTRE DAME, Indiana — University of Notre Dame senior linebackers Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Drew White were selected to the 2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, recognizing the college football defensive player of the year.
Owusu-Koramoah and White led the Irish in tackles in 2019, both totaling 80 tackles on the season.
Tying for a team-high 80 tackles in 2019, Owusu-Koramoah started all 13 games this past season, contributing a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss with 5.5 sacks, four pass break-ups, three QB hurries, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Three sacks came during the 2019 Camping World Bowl victory over Iowa State, earning him a spot on the ESPN All-Bowl Team, and he reached the nine-tackle mark three times during the season: at Louisville, at Stanford and vs. Iowa State.
Owusu-Koramoah was also named to the Bednarik and Butkus Award watch lists earlier this month.
White played in all 13 games in 2019, also adding 8.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two QB hurries and two fumble recoveries to his 80 total tackles. Against Michigan, White totaled 11 tackles, the most by an Irish player in a game on the season. He also posted 10 tackles vs. Navy, scooping up a fumble against the Midshipmen and again the next week vs. Boston College.
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 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. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
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.
Following is the 2020 preseason watch list calendar:
Monday July 13: Chuck Bednarik Award (Kyle Hamilton, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah)
Tuesday July 14: Davey O’Brien Award (Ian Book)
Monday July 20: Butkus Award (Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah)
Tuesday July 21: Outland Trophy & Nagurski Award (Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Drew White)
Wednesday July 22: Groza Award & Ray Guy Award
Thursday July 23: Hornung Award & Wuerffel Trophy
Friday July 24: Maxwell Award