ORLANDO - UCF safety Divaad Wilson is one of the 85 players named today to the watch list for the 2022 Nagurski Trophy presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). The award goes annually to the national defensive player of the year.
A redshirt senior, Wilson is one of UCF's top two returning tacklers (72 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 ints. in 2021) for 2022. He earned second-team all-American Athletic Conference recognition last season by vote of league coaches.
From Miami, Florida (Northwestern High School), Wilson was named to Athlon Sports' all-AAC second team on a preseason basis for 2022.
The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the 2022 trophy Nov. 16 and the winner will be unveiled Dec. 5 at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet presented by LendingTree in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Here are the 85 players selected:
DE Praise Amaewhule, UTEP
LB Darren Anders, Bowling Green
LB Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State
S Jordan Battle, Alabama
DT Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin
DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson
S CJ Brown, NIU
LB Jack Campbell, Iowa
LB Andre Carter, Army
DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
S Grayson Cash, UAB
S Jalen Catalon, Arkansas
DT Elijah Chatman, SMU
LB KD Davis, North Texas
DE Brandon Dorlus, Oregon
LB Dillon Doyle, Baylor
DE Viliami Fehoko, San Jose State
CB Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
DE Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame
LB Antonio Grier, USF
DE Derick Hall, Auburn
LB Kyle Harmon, San Jose State
DE Zach Harrison, Ohio State
S Xavier Henderson, Michigan State
LB Nick Herbig, Wisconsin
S Ronnie Hickman, Ohio State
DE Jamal Hines, Toledo
CB Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU
DT Siaki Ika, Baylor
S Tanner Ingle, N.C. State
S Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M
S Quindell Johnson, Memphis
LB Mikel Jones, Syracuse
S Steven Jones Jr., App State
S Brandon Joseph, Notre Dame
DT Calijah Kancey, Pitt
CB Kyu Blu Kelly, Stanford
S Antavioius Lane, Georgia State
CB Darrell Luter Jr., South Alabama
LB Carlton Martial, Troy
DE Brock Martin, Oklahoma State
DE Ochaun Mathis, Nebraska
LB Caden McDonald, San Diego State
DE Will McDonald IV, Iowa State
S Patrick McMorris, San Diego State
CB Riley Moss, Iowa
DE Myles Murphy, Clemson
DT Myles Murphy, North Carolina
DT PJ Mustipher, Penn State
DE B.J. Ojulari, LSU
DE Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State
LB DeMarvion Overshown, Texas
S Gervarrius Owens, Houston
LB Deshawn Pace, Cincinnati
LB Ivan Pace, Cincinnati
LB James Patterson, Buffalo
CB Clark Phillips, Utah
LB Bumper Pool, Arkansas
CB Joey Porter, Penn State
CB Eli Ricks, Alabama
CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia
S Jammie Robinson, Florida State
LB Vince Sanford, Air Force
LB Noah Sewell, Oregon
LB Trenton Simpson, Clemson
S JL Skinner, Boise State
CB Cam Smith, South Carolina
LB Nolan Smith, Georgia
DE Javon Solomon, Troy
LB Omar Speights, Oregon State
DE Josiah Stewart, Coastal Carolina
DT Dante Stills, West Virginia
DE Ron Stone Jr., Washington State
CB D'Jordan Strong, Coastal Carolina
DT Junior Tafuna, Utah
DT Leonard Taylor, Miami
LB Drake Thomas, N.C. State
LB Henry To'oto'o, Alabama
DT Tuli Tuipulotu, USC
LB Payton Wilgar, BYU
S Evan Williams, Fresno State
S Divaad Wilson, UCF
S Rashad Wisdom, UTSA
CB Charles Woods, West Virginia
There are 25 linebackers on the watch list, 18 safeties, 17 defensive ends, 13 cornerbacks and 12 tackles.
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 in 2022. If not already on the watch list, each week's honored player will be added at that time.
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. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from the five finalists named in November. Committee members, by individual ballot, select the winner they regard as the best defensive player in college football.
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.