Three more Oregon Ducks just snagged some massive preseason honors, with cornerback Brandon Finney Jr., safety Koi Perich, and defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington all landing on the prestigious Bronko Nagurski Award watch list on Tuesday. This comes hot on the heels of quarterback Dante Moore getting named to The Maxwell Award watch list on Monday, an award for the best all-around player in college football. Talk about a loaded squad!
The Nation’s Top Defensive Honor
The Bronko Nagurski Award is a huge deal, an annual honor since 1993 given to the top defensive player in college football. Recent winners include Jacob Rodriguez from Texas Tech in 2025, Kyle Kennard from South Carolina in 2024, and Xavier Watts from Notre Dame in 2023. Here’s the kicker: no Duck has ever taken home the Nagurski trophy. But with three absolute studs getting highlighted on the watch list, there’s a serious chance one of them could blast ahead and become a leading candidate for 2026. This isn’t just a list; it’s a statement.
Meet the Defensive Superstars
Finney and Washington are both heading into their second seasons as starters, and man, did they shine early! Both stepped into big roles and absolutely excelled, consistently flashing NFL-caliber talent. Finney still has another season of eligibility after 2026, which is huge for the program. Washington, on the other hand, made a massive decision: he passed on the 2026 NFL Draft to run it back one more time in Eugene. The Ducks’ defense is absolutely going to be better because of that kind of commitment. Then there’s Perich, who transferred in after spending his first two seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. During his time there, he emerged as a total playmaker from safety, kickoff return, and punt return spots, even earning Freshman All-American honors in 2024. Now, with a portion of his workload off his plate in a much more talented defense, we could see an even higher level of play from him this fall.
With Finney, Perich, and Washington leading the charge, the Oregon defense is shaping up to be one of the best in the nation. It’s gonna be wild to see if one of these guys can make history and bring home the Bronko Nagurski Award, but either way, get ready for a defense that’s going to be a problem for opposing offenses all season long. You won’t want to miss a single snap of what these guys bring to the field!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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