UGA Football

Three Bulldogs named to 2022 Bronco Nagurski Trophy Watch List

by
Kevin Kelley
Jul 26, 2022

Photo: Tony Walsh/UGA

Three Georgia Bulldogs have been named to the 2022 Bronko Nagurski Award Watch List, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) announced on Tuesday.

Bulldogs named to the 2022 Bronko Nagurski Award Watch List include defensive tackle Jalen Carter, cornerback Kelee Ringo, and linebacker Nolan Smith.

The Bronko Nagurski trophy is an annual award given to the top defensive player in college football as voted by the FWAA. 85 players have been named to the list and the SEC is first with 14 players.

The full conference breakdown is as follows: SEC 14; ACC (10); Big 12 (10); Big Ten (10); Pac-12 (8); American Athletic (7); Mountain West (7); Sun Belt (7); Conference USA (4), Mid-American (4), and Independents (4).

The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the 2022 Bronko Nagurski trophy on Wednesday, Nov. 16 and the winner will be unveiled on Monday, Dec. 5 at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet in Charlotte, N.C.

Jalen Carter, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound junior, hails from Apopka, Fla. Carter played in all 15 games last season and was named to the Coaches’ All-SEC 2nd Team.

Kelee Ringo, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound redshirt sophomore, is a native of Tacoma, Wash. Ringo played in all 15 games in 2021 and started in the final 12 games. His 79-yard interception return for a touchdown sealed Georgia’s 33-18 victory over Alabama in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship.

Nolan Smith, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior, hails from Savannah, Ga. Smith started in all 14 games he played in last season and finished with 56 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

The national champion Georgia Bulldogs are scheduled to open the 2022 season on Saturday, Sept. 3 against the Oregon Ducks in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.

2022 UGA Football Schedule