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June 27, 2005
DALLAS, Texas – University of Virginia junior linebacker Ahmad Brooks (Woodbridge, Va.) has been named one of 50 preseason candidates for the 2005 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) announced on Monday.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded to the best defensive player in college football, has been a staple of the FWAA’s awards since 1993. It is sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club, which has held the annual awards banquet since 1995.
The 2005 banquet is set for Dec. 5 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, where five finalists will vie for the prize. Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson won the 2004 Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
The FWAA All-America Committee selects the Bronko Nagurski winner from the association’s 11-man All-America defensive team in late November. Players may be added from the Bronko Nagurski Watch List during the course of the 2005 season.
For the fifth straight season, the FWAA will select Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Players of the Week, beginning with games the week of Sept. 3 and running through the middle of November. Each national player of the week will be added to the trophy’s watch list throughout the season.
A first-team All-American and first-team All-ACC honoree last season as a sophomore, Brooks led the team in tackles and quarterback pressures during his second season as a starter. Named the Defensive Back/Linebacker of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Richmond, Brooks was one of three finalists for the prestigious Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker. He earned the team’s Ned McDonald Award as UVa’s outstanding defensive player.
Virginia kicks off the 2005 season on Saturday, Sept. 3 with Western Michigan at the Carl Smith Center, home of David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium.