DALLAS (July 21, 2020) - Washington State linebacker Jahad Woods was named to the 2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, the Charlotte Touchdown Club announced Tuesday.
 
Woods is one of eight Pac-12 Conference linebackers named to the watch list for the award given to the National Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Woods, a two-time All-Pac-12 Conference honorable mention pick, produced one of the best seasons in Washington State history as a redshirt-junior last season. The San Diego native recorded 141 tackles, fourth-most in the country and tied for the fifth-most in WSU single-season history, the most by a Cougar since 1991. Woods also tallied a team-high 10 tackles-for-loss, three sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one interception. Woods, the Pac-12's top returning tackler, recorded 10+ tackle games and finished the season as the Pac-12's best inside linebacker in pass rush productivity and fourth-best inside linebacker at run stop percentage. Woods capped his 2019 season with a WSU Bowl Game and Cheez-It Bowl Game record 20 tackles against Air Force, tied for the seventh-most in WSU single-game history.
 
Woods enters 2020 with 287 career tackles and 25.5 tackles-for-loss in 39 career games.
 
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.
 
Players may be added or removed from the watch list during the course of the season. As in previous years, the FWAA will announce a National Defensive Player of the Week each Tuesday this season. If not already on the watch list, each week's honored player will be added at that time. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
 
The winner of the 2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy presented by LendingTree as the National Defensive Player of the Year will be chosen from those five finalists. 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.
 
Last week, Woods was named to The Bednarik Award Watch List, given to the College Defensive Player of the Year and Monday, Woods was named to The Butkus Award Watch List, given to the nation's best linebacker.