Four Ohio State Buckeyes Named To Bronko Nagurski Watchlist

The Ohio State Buckeyes lead the country in Bronko Nagurski Preseason Watchlist nominees with four. Find out which Buckeyes were listed.

Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Steele Chambers (22) and defensive tackle Tyleik Williams (91) celebrate an interception by defensive end JT Tuimoloau (44) during the NCAA football game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Ohio Stadium. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

How many awards can Ohio State defensive players win in 2024? Well, they do need to play the season first, so the expectations can slow down just a bit. That being said, the Buckeyes are everywhere in preseason rankings and as nominees for postseason awards. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy watchlist was released on Tuesday and four Buckeyes were on it.

The Nagurski Trophy is an award given to the nation's best defensive player and 75 players were selected to this year's list of preseason nominees. The Ohio State Buckeyes actually happened to lead all schools with the most players named to the watchlist. Cornerback Denzel Burke, safety Caleb Downs, defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau and defensive tackle Tyleik Williams were deemed the four to watch out for in 2024.

4 Buckeyes earn @NagurskiTrophy Watch List honors 💥
@DenzelBurke10 @tyleikk @caleb_downs2 @JT_Tuimoloau pic.twitter.com/axlqMYbNRH

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 30, 2024

Not only did the Buckeyes lead the way in the country with four players, but they helped propel the Big Ten to 16 total players representing the conference. Only the SEC had more representatives with 19. Of the 16 from the Big Ten, nine Big Ten schools are accounted for including the Iowa Hawkeyes, Michigan Wolverines, Northwestern Wildcats, Oregon Ducks, Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers, USC Trojans and Wisconsin Badgers.

The combination of Burke, Downs, Tuimoloau and Williams combined for an impressive 222 tackles, 23.5 tackles-for-loss, eight sacks, 20 pass breakups and three interceptions in 2023. The contribution from Downs to these numbers comes from his stats with Alabama, but if these four can put up similar numbers on the same unit, then that will bode well for the Buckeyes.

Burke, Downs and Tuimoloau were also previously named to the preseason watchlist for the Lott Impact Trophy.