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Photo by: Evan Pilat/Texas A&M Athletics
Lee Earns Spot on Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List
Jul 29, 2025 | Football
DALLAS – Texas A&M standout defensive back Will Lee III has been named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List, the Football Writers Association of America announced Tuesday. The trophy is awarded annually to the best defensive player in college football.
Lee returns as one of the nation's top defensive backs after he earned All-SEC Second Team honors last season. He ranked fifth in the league with 10 pass breakups and was top-five on the team with 42 tackles. Lee recorded at least one pass breakup in six games, including a career-high four pass breakups against Arkansas. He finished the season as only one of two SEC players to register four-or-more breakups in a game.
The St. Louis, Missouri, native recorded five-plus tackles in four games, including a career-high nine tackles in the season opener against Notre Dame. Lee registered a pair of interceptions, including a 93-yard interception return for his first career score in the regular season finale against Texas.
The preseason watch list features 60 defensive standouts representing 41 different schools in eight of the FBS conferences and Independents. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce four finalists in mid-to-late November, while the winner will be revealed at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet on December 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy, created in 1993, is awarded to the best defensive player in college football and is presented by the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The award was established to complement the Heisman Trophy Award, which at the time had never been presented to a defensive player.
Lee returns as one of the nation's top defensive backs after he earned All-SEC Second Team honors last season. He ranked fifth in the league with 10 pass breakups and was top-five on the team with 42 tackles. Lee recorded at least one pass breakup in six games, including a career-high four pass breakups against Arkansas. He finished the season as only one of two SEC players to register four-or-more breakups in a game.
The St. Louis, Missouri, native recorded five-plus tackles in four games, including a career-high nine tackles in the season opener against Notre Dame. Lee registered a pair of interceptions, including a 93-yard interception return for his first career score in the regular season finale against Texas.
The preseason watch list features 60 defensive standouts representing 41 different schools in eight of the FBS conferences and Independents. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce four finalists in mid-to-late November, while the winner will be revealed at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet on December 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy, created in 1993, is awarded to the best defensive player in college football and is presented by the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The award was established to complement the Heisman Trophy Award, which at the time had never been presented to a defensive player.
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