COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Maryland senior cornerback William Likely has been named to the 2016 preseason Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, it was announced on Friday.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is presented annually to the National Defensive Player of the Year by the Charlotte Touchdown Club and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).
Likely, who was also named to the Bednarik Award Watch List on Tuesday, has been a First Team All-Big Ten standout at defensive back for the Terps in each of the last two seasons. The cornerback registered 44 tackles, four tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and led the team with 11 pass breakups as a junior in 2015.
As a sophomore in 2014, Likely posted 83 tackles (66 solo), tied for the conference-lead in interceptions (6) and tied for the FBS lead by returning a pair of interceptions for touchdowns. The Belle Glade, Florida native also tied for first in the Big Ten with 15 passes defensed.
Also an All-American return specialist, Likely led the country with 1,197 kick return yards in 2015. He was named to the Football Writers Association of America's All-America First Team and garnered Second Team All-America accolades from USA Today. He was also chosen as the inaugural recipient of the Rodgers-Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year.
The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on November 17.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from those five finalists who are part of the 2016 FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association's entire membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Nagurski Trophy finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner, the best defensive player in college football.
The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet, presented by ACN, will be held on Mon., Dec. 5 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte.
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.
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