By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina senior defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude has been named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) announced Tuesday.
The honor places him among 68 preseason candidates from 47 schools across all 10 FBS conferences and the FBS independents vying to win the award, which goes to the nation’s top defensive player.
Abou Jaoude was a Second Team All-ACC selection last season and was fifth nationally and leading the ACC with 10½ sacks, the sixth-most in a single season in Tar Heel history.
He played 646 snaps, the most by a defensive lineman in the ACC. Abou Jaoude had 47 tackles in 646 snaps last season. He was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after tallying a game-high six tackles with 2½ tackles for losses, two sacks and a forced fumble in UNC’s 27-10 victory at Syracuse.
Abou Jaoude was one of 10 ACC defensive standouts, representing seven programs, to earn a spot on the list. Miami paced all ACC schools and tied for the national lead with three selections, as defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr., defensive end Damon Wilson II and safety Bryce Fitzgerald all made the cut. Louisville followed with two honorees in safety Koen Entringer and defensive end Clev Lubin, while Clemson, Stanford, Virginia and Virginia Tech each placed one player on the list alongside UNCA.
Rounding out the ACC’s representation on the watch list are Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown, Stanford linebacker Matt Rose, Virginia linebacker Kam Robinson and Virginia Tech defensive tackle Kemari Copeland.
Players can be added to or removed from the watch list as the season progresses. The FWAA will also name a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week every Tuesday, and any player honored who isn’t already on the list will be added at that time.
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Photo courtesy of the ACC
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