UVA’s Snowden named to Nagurski Trophy Watch List

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia linebacker Charles Snowden has been named to the preseason Bronko Nagurski Watch List, the Football Writers Association of America announced Tuesday. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club award the Nagurski Trophy annually to the nation’s best defensive player.

Snowden (Sr., Silver Spring, Md.) was an honorable mention All-ACC honoree in 2019 after finishing with 72 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, four pass breakups and one fumble recovery.

He was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Year after leading all players with 15 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in a win over Old Dominion in 2019. In 2018, he led the nation’s linebackers with nine pass breakups and 11 passes defended. Snowden has already been named to the Bednarik and Butkus preseason watch lists.

Snowden is one of 17 ACC players to make the 98-person watch list.

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 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner 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.

The Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more.