Ohio State's Zach Harrison, Ronnie Hickman On Nagurski Trophy Watch List

Harrison and Hickman are looking to become the third player in school history to win the award, joining James Laurinaitis and Chase Young.

Ohio State senior defensive end Zach Harrison and redshirt junior safety Ronnie Hickman were among the 85 players named on Tuesday to the preseason watch list for the Nagurski Trophy, which is awarded to college football’s best defensive player.

Our preseason watch list features 85 standout defensive players. https://t.co/OFRnJQ8SGz pic.twitter.com/ZxCtKiN56d

— Nagurski Trophy (@NagurskiTrophy) July 26, 2022

A former five-star prospect from Lewis Center, Ohio, Harrison recorded 34 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, four pass break ups and two forced fumbles in 12 games last season. He is one of three returning team captains, joining fifth-year senior wide receiver Kamryn Babb and fifth-year senior linebacker Teradja Mitchell.

Hickman, meanwhile, totaled a team-leading 100 tackles and two interceptions to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors last season. The former four-star prospect from South Orange, N.J., is set to represent the Buckeyes during Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday alongside quarterback C.J. Stroud and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Ohio State has produced two Nagurksi Trophy winners in former linebacker James Laurinaitis in 2006 and former defensive end Chase Young in 2019. Harrison and Hickman will have to unseat Alabama linebacker Will Anderson, who won the award last season, in order to add to that total.

Finalists for the award, which is named after former Minnesota fullback and defensive tackle Bronko Nagurski, will be named in November, with the winner announced during an awards banquet in Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 5.

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