Former Fort Dorchester standout Carlos Dunlap has been put on the 2009 Bronko Nagurski Trophey Watch List.
Dunlap, now a defensive end for the University of Florida, is one of 62 players selected for the prestigious honor.
TCU end Jerry Hughes and South Florida end George Selvie, both past finalists for the trophy, plus six Football Writers Association of America All-Americans are also on the list that was announced Aug. 18 by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's best defensive player by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club.
The trophy has been presented since 1993 and is awarded in memory of the legendary Nagurski, an All-America lineman at Minnesota from 1927-29 and a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s.
Dunlap, the Defensive MVP of the BCS National Championship game, tallied 39 tackles, including 21 solo and 18 assisted, while racking up a team-leading 13.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 quarterback sacks in 2008. In addition, he blocked three punts in his sophomore campaign, the most of any player under Coach Meyer.
Florida junior cornerback Joe Haden and senior linebacker Brandon Spikes are among the All-American athletes on the list.
Others are Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry, Alabama tackle Terrence Cody and USC defensive back Taylor Mays.
University of South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood is also on the list, which is fluid. Players may be added or removed during the season. After the first four games of the season, the FWAA will revise the list and at that time school sports information directors may submit names for players not on the list to the FWAA and their conference's FWAA All-America Committee representative.
Each week during the 2009 season, the FWAA will choose a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week.
If the selected player is not on the watch list, he automatically will be added. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists on Nov.18 or 19.
The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet will be on Dec. 7 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. Besides the 2009 winner being announced, the banquet will also celebrate the winner of the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award, presented by CSX Intermodal. Defensive back Roger Wehrli, a standout for the University of Missouri and the St. Louis Cardinals, will be honored.