CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Jer'Zhan Newton is headed to Charlotte for the 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Awards Banquet on Monday at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET. The Charlotte Touchdown Club and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) will present the Nagurski Trophy to the nation's top defensive player at the Charlotte Convention Center.
Monday's banquet will be streamed live by the Charlotte Touchdown Club here. Newton is one of five finalists for the award, along with Iowa CB Cooper DeJean, Georgia S Malaki Starks, Notre Dame S Xavier Watts, and NC State LB Payton Wilson.Â
One of the most disruptive players in the nation, Newton led Power-5 defensive tackles in quarterback pressures for the second straight season in 2023, according to PFF. His 44 pressures this season leads all Big Ten defensive tackles by 15, and he also led Big Ten defensive tackles in sacks with 7.5, which ranked second overall in the conference. Over the last two seasons, Newton has totaled 103 quarterback pressures, by far the most in the nation among defensive tackles.Â
Newton proved himself as the nation's best defensive tackle throughout the regular season. Among interior defenders, he ranked first in pressures, third in sacks (1st Power-5), and seventh in tackles (3rd Power-5), while also being the most durable defensive tackle in the nation. Newton led all defensive tackles in snaps played during the regular season with 749 (62.4 per game), an impressive 72 more snaps than any other Power-5 interior defensive lineman and 124 more than any Big Ten defensive tackle.
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.
Illinois has had two previous finalists for the Nagurski Trophy. Whitney Mercilus was a finalist in 2011 and Dana Howard was a finalist in 1994, when the award was named the FWAA Defensive Player of the Year.Â
Newton's position coach and co-defensive coordinator Terrance Jamison also plans to be in attendance at the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Awards Banquet. Jamison has led Illinois' defensive line unit for the past three seasons.Â
2023 Bronko Nagurski Finalists
Jer'Zhan Newton, Illinois, DT
Cooper DeJean, Iowa, CB
Malaki Starks, Georgia, S
Xavier Watts, Notre Dame, S
Payton Wilson, NC State, LB
Illinois Finalists - National College Football Awards AssociationÂ
2023 Nagurski - Jer'Zhan Newton, DT
2022 Thorpe - Devon Witherspoon, CB
2022 Doak - Chase Brown, RB
2013 Wuerffel - Nathan Scheelhaase, QB
2011 Nagurski - Whitney Mercilus, DE
2007 Wuerffel - J Leman, LB
2007 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year - Ron Zook, HC
2001Â Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year - Ron Turner, HC
1995 Butkus - Kevin Hardy, LB (winner)
1995 Bednarik - Simeon Rice, LB
1995 Bednarik - Kevin Hardy, LB
1994 Butkus - Dana Howard, LB (winner)
1994 FWAA Defensive Player of the Year - Dana Howard, LB
1990 Butkus - Darrick Brownlow, LBÂ
1989 Outland - Moe Gardner, DT
1989 O'Brien - Jeff George, QB
1985 O'Brien - Jack Trudeau, QB
1984 O'Brien - Jack Trudeau, QB
1982 O'Brien - Tony Eason, QB
1965 Heisman - Jim Grabowski, RB
1964 Heisman - Dick Butkus, LB
NOTE: Illinois has had other award finalists that are not part of the National College Football Awards Association, including Moe Gardner being a Lombardi Award finalist in 1990, Whitney Mercilus winning the Hendricks Award in 2011, Joe Spencer winning the Wooden Citizen Cup in 2017, and Blake Hayes being a Senior CLASS Award finalist in 2021.
