Auburn football player named to Nagurski Trophy watch list

We are now one month out from the 2023 college football season, and the Auburn football team is gearing up to prove a lot of people wrong. While new head coach Hugh Freeze worked his tail off on the recruiting trail during the offseason and brought in over 40 new faces to the program, there are still a few returners that are expected to make a big impact this season.

One of those guys is cornerback D.J. James. After three years at Oregon, James transferred back to his home state to play for Auburn football in 2022. Last season, James racked up 38 tackles, eight pass break ups, and one interception, and was named second-team All SEC by PFF. He was invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, but elected to return to the Plains for another season.

Last month, the cornerback was named third-team All-SEC in the 2023 Preseason Media Days All-SEC Team, and now he has been selected for the 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list.

About the Nagurski Trophy

Each year, the Nagurski Trophy is given to the best defender in college football. The watch list was released today by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and includes 94 defensive athletes from 69 programs in all 10 Division I FBS conferences plus Independents.

The list is made up of 13 defensive tackles, 29 linebackers, 19 cornerbacks, 19 safeties, and 16 defensive ends. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the 2023 trophy on Nov. 15 and the winner will be unveiled Dec. 4 at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet in Charlotte, N.C.

How many Auburn football players have won the trophy?

No Auburn football players have ever won the Nagurski Trophy, but D.J. James is the eighth Tiger to make the watch list since 2018 after Derick Hall (2022), Zakoby McClain (2021), K.J. Britt (2020), Big Kat Bryant (2020), Derrick Brown (2018, 2019), Nick Coe (2019), and Marlon Davidson (2018).