DALLAS — UTSA senior defensive lineman Joe Evans has been named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, which was unveiled on Tuesday by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).
Evans is one of 75 defensive standouts, including one of five from the American Athletic Conference and one of 28 defensive linemen, selected for the list. The FWAA announcement and complete list can be found at sportswriters.net.
Evans, a senior defensive lineman from Haynesville, Louisiana, has collected all-conference honors in each of his first two seasons with the Roadrunners. He earned third-team all-league recognition last fall after posting 18 total tackles, 11 unassisted stops, 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a safety. He posted a season-high six tackles, including four unassisted, against Army, and he made a pair of stops, including 1.5 TFL and a sack that went for a safety, in the 36-10 win at Florida Atlantic.
After transferring to UTSA from LSU prior to the 2022 season, Evans has played in 24 games and earned 17 starts on the defensive line. He enters the 2024 campaign with 36 total tackles, 19 unassisted stops, six TFLs and 3.5 sacks as a Roadrunner.
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 FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the 2024 trophy on Nov. 20 and the winner will be unveiled Dec. 9 at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
Sixteen NCFAA members are unveiling preseason watch lists over a 12-day period as the association spearheads a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates.
For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter at @NCFAA.
The Roadrunners will kick off the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 31, when they host Kennesaw State at 2:30 p.m. at the Alamodome.
Fans can purchase tickets online or by calling the UTSA Ticket Office at 210-458-UTSA (8872) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding holidays. Current UTSA football season-ticket holders may renew their tickets by logging into their UTSA Account Manager.
Season tickets start as low as $90 per seat. Payment plans for all season ticket packages are available.
Current UTSA students receive free admission to all home games by downloading tickets via their Account Manager.
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