The FWAA tabs Derick Hall for Nagurski Trophy Watch List

AUBURN, Ala. – Coming off a breakout year last year, Auburn senior Derick Hall was named to the 2022 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List on Tuesday. 

The Nagurski Trophy is given annually to the nation's best defender. The 85 players on the watch list were selected by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) who has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. 

Hall led Auburn and was among the top 10 in the SEC in tackles for loss (12.5) and sacks (9.0) a year ago. His nine sacks were tied for third most in the conference as he earned Second Team All-SEC honors from the coaches. Now entering his fourth season on the Plains, the senior edge has 83 career tackles with 17.5 tackles for loss. 

"The goals are still the same," Hall said last week while at SEC Media Days. "My aspirations are still the same. We want to take this team to the next level on defense, so we have to come to work every day. We have to fulfill everything we said we were going to do."

On Friday, Hall picked up a First Team nod on the 2022 Media Days All-SEC Team. 

Since 2018, Auburn has now had seven players make the Nagurski Trophy Watch List with Hall (2022), Zakoby McClain (2021), K.J. Britt (2020), Big Kat Bryant (2020), Derrick Brown (2019 and 2018), Nick Coe (2019) and Marlon Davidson (2018). 

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

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.