Four Kansas State players on the defensive side of the ball — defensive backs Dante Barnett and Duke Shelley, linebacker Elijah Lee and defensive tackle Will Geary — earned spots on watch lists for awards presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) on Friday.
Barnett, Shelley and Lee were named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list — presented to the nation’s most outstanding defensive player — while Geary landed on the Outland Trophy watch list, which is awarded to the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman.
The three Wildcats up for the Nagurski Trophy are the most since linebacker Arthur Brown joined defensive backs Nigel Malone and Allen Chapman as candidates in 2012.