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Finalists for 2007 Bronko Nagurski Trophy

Fri, 11/16/2007 - 09:10 — Draft Insiders

FWAA Names Five Finalists for 2007 Bronko Nagurski Trophy

Five finalists for the 2007 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, including last season's winner James Laurinaitis of Ohio St., were announced this week by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club.

Vying for the honor of the best defensive football player in college football are linebaker James Laurinaitis, LSU's defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, defensive ends Chris Long of Virginia and George Selvie of South Florida and cornerback Aqib Talib of Kansas.

The winner will be announced on Dec. 3 and presented the Bronko Nagurski Trophy in Charlotte, N.C., where Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer will give the keynote address.

The FWAA award is named after Nagurski, who dominated college football at Minnesota as a bruising fullback and tackle from 1927-29. He could have been an All-America at any position, playing 60 minutes and was the best player wherever he lined up.

Laurinaitis is a 6-3, 240 lb. junior linebacker who has spearhead the Buckeyes' defense this season and will play in their showdown with Michigan on Saturday.

He was named Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week this season for his inspiring career- high, 19-tackle performance in the Buckeyes' 38-17 victory over Wisconsin. This season, Laurinatis has eight tackles for 32 yards in losses and 97 total tackles for the once-beaten Buckeyes. He will seek to join Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald (1995-96) as the second player to win back-to-back Nagurski Trophies.

Dorsey, a 6-2, 300 lb. senior from Gonzales, La., has been a stalwart on top-ranked LSU's line the entire season. He has 53 total tackles (33 unassisted) and 11.5 tackles for 62 yards in losses. He has 3 pass break-ups and 4 quarterback hurries.

Long, a 6-4, 284 lb.senior from Ivy, Va., and son of former NFL great Howie Long, has been instrumental in three Virginia road victories this season. He scored a safety in Virginia's 18-17 victory over Maryland; his 25-yard interception return set up the Cavaliers' winning field goal in a 22-20 victory over North Carolina; and his blocked field goal preserved Virginia's 23-21 victory over Middle Tennessee. On the season, Long has 69 total tackles (30 unassisted), 17 tackles for 114 yards in losses and seven pass break- ups for Virginia, 9-2.

Selvie, a 6-4, 245 lb. sophomore from Pensacola, Fla., with 53 total tackles (41 unassisted), leads the country in tackles for loss (30.5) for 138 yards. He is two shy of breaking the NCAA record. Of those tackles for loss, 14.5 are sacks. He has 10 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and one blocked kick for the Bulls, 7-3, who still have two regular-season games remaining.

Talib, a 6-2, 205 lb. junior from Richardson, Texas, leads the Big 12 Conference in passes defended. He has 48 tackles (31 unassisted), 3.5 tackles for eight yards in losses, four interceptions (135 return yards) and 11 pass break-ups for the unbeaten Jayhawks. He returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown against Florida International. He also is known as a hard-hitter, knocking Oklahoma St.receiver Adarius Bowman out of the Jayhawks' most recent victory.

The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, N.C. region. The club's activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship, and leadership of area athletes and coaches. The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is www.touchdownclub.com.

Frank Coyle is a longtime member of the FWAA and votes in all the major college awards - the Heisman Trophy, Lombardi, Outland, Jim Thorpe including all the defensive awards. He is also a voter for the FWAA on the College team polls, the Grantland Rice Polls. He is a nationwide radio and TV personality and makes frequent appearances on sports talk shows from coast to coast. He has been a regular guest on major radio shows such as the Score in Chicago, Sporting News Radio, ESPN Radio nationwide, WEEI Boston, WFAN in New York and Sports Extra in San Diego as well as every major sports talk show nationwide. His Heisman Trophy and Jim Thorpe Award ballots are released annually in early December.