UF cornerback Kaiir Elam was named to his third award watch list on Tuesday. The Charlotte Touchdown Club announced that the junior is one of 90 players on the watchlist for the Bronco Nagurski Trophy.
The Nagurski Trophy is awarded by the Football Writers Association of America to the national defensive player of the year. It is named after a legendary two-way player at Minnesota and a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
The winner will be chosen from a group of five finalists and honored at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet presented by LendingTree on Dec. 6 at the Charlotte Convention Center.
Elam was previously named to the watch lists for the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Jim Thorpe Award. He was also selected to the media’s Preseason All-SEC First Team.
He enters the 2021 season with some mock drafts having him being selected among the top-10 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. He started all 12 games in 2020 and recorded 39 tackles, two interceptions, 11 pass breakups, one tackle-for-loss and one fumble recovery.
The SEC’s coaches selected him to the All-SEC First Team after the season, while the Associated Press named him to the second team.