The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football defensive player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) to be the best in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The award is named for Bronko Nagurski, who played football for the University of Minnesota and Chicago Bears, and is presented by the Charlotte Touchdown Club and FWAA.
Winners[]
| Year | Winner | School | Position | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Rob Waldrop | Arizona | DT | |
| 1994 | Warren Sapp | Miami (FL) | DT | |
| 1995 | Pat Fitzgerald | Northwestern | LB | |
| 1996 | Northwestern (2) | LB | ||
| 1997 | Charles Woodson | Michigan | CB | |
| 1998 | Champ Bailey | Georgia | CB | |
| 1999 | Corey Moore | Virginia Tech | LB | |
| 2000 | Dan Morgan | Miami (FL) (2) | LB | |
| 2001 | Roy Williams | Oklahoma | S | |
| 2002 | Terrell Suggs | Arizona State | DE | |
| 2003 | Derrick Strait | Oklahoma (2) | CB | |
| 2004 | Derrick Johnson | Texas | LB | |
| 2005 | Elvis Dumervil | Louisville | DE | |
| 2006 | James Laurinaitis | Ohio State | LB | |
| 2007 | Glenn Dorsey | LSU | DT | |
| 2008 | Brian Orakpo | Texas (2) | LB | |
| 2009 | Ndamukong Suh | Nebraska | DT | |
| 2010 | Da'Quan Bowers | Clemson | DE | |
| 2011 | Luke Kuechly | Boston College | LB | |
| 2012 | Manti Te'o | Notre Dame | LB | |
| 2013 | Aaron Donald | Pittsburgh | DT | |
| 2014 | Scooby Wright III | Arizona (2) | LB | |
| 2015 | Tyler Matakevich | Temple | LB | |
| 2016 | Jonathan Allen | Alabama | DE | |
| 2017 | Bradley Chubb | NC State | DE | |
| 2018 | Josh Allen | Kentucky | LB | |
| 2019 | Chase Young | Ohio State (2) | DE | |
| 2020 | Zaven Collins | Tulsa | LB | |
| 2021 | Will Anderson Jr. | Alabama (2) | LB | |
| 2022 | Alabama (3) | LB | ||
| 2023 | Xavier Watts | Notre Dame (2) | S | |
| 2024 | Kyle Kennard | South Carolina | EDGE |