Texas' Anthony Hill Jr, Colin Simmons, and Michael Taaffe named to Bronko Nagurski watch list

Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr., EDGE Colin Simmons and DB Michael Taaffe were named to the Bronko Nagurski preseason watch list, the Football Writers Association of America and Charlotte Touchdown Club announced Tuesday morning. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is presented annually to nation’s top defensive player.

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Hill has been selected to the award’s watch list for the second-consecutive season while Simmons and Taaffe are both first-time selections. Texas’ three selections tie for the second-most with Alabama, Oregon and Clemson, while Georgia has four nominees. All three UT players previously landed on the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list on May 28 and received preseason First-Team All-SEC praise on defense on July 18.

Last season, former UT DB and 2024 Jim Thorpe Award winner Jahdae Barron was one of four finalists for the Nagurski Trophy. Barron was Texas’ first Nagurski Trophy finalist since DT Malcolm Brown in 2014 while the Longhorns’ last winner was DE Brian Orakpo in 2008.

Hill started all 16 games at linebacker last season, earning second-team All-America honors by the AFCA, Associated Press, The Sporting News and Walter Camp. The Denton, Texas, product was tabbed a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Butkus awards in 2024. Hill led UT in tackles (103), tackles for loss (16.5), and forced fumbles (4), while sitting third on the squad in sacks (8). He composed three double-digit tackling performances and was credited with 0.5-or-more tackles for loss in 11 different games. Hill received national praise following his standout performance in Texas’ 34-3 win over No. 18/16 Oklahoma in the Allstate Red River Rivalry on Oct. 12. He garnered Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 15), Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week (Oct. 16) and SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week accolades (Oct. 14). Against the Sooners, Hill compiled 11 tackles (seven solo), two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one pressure in Texas’ win. Hill is a third-year player who has appeared in 30 games with 22 starts.

Simmons had a breakout year in his first season on the Forty Acres, emerging as a standout on an elite Texas defense and becoming the first Longhorn to be chosen the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year since the award’s inception in 2018. Simmons appeared in all 16 games, leading the team with 9.0 sacks that totaled a loss of 64 yards and ranking second in tackles for loss (14.0-73), quarterback hurries (nine) and forced fumbles (three). Simmons also compiled 48 total tackles (31 solo), an interception and two pass break-ups. He led all FBS freshmen in total sacks, while his nine sacks were the third-most by a freshman in program single-season history.

Taaffe returns to the UT defense after garnering second-team All-America recognition from the Associated Press in 2024. An Austin, Texas native and former walk-on, Taaffe started all 16 games last season, ranking second on the team in total tackles (78), interceptions (2) and pass break-ups (10). He was the only Longhorn to record an interception and a forced fumble in the same game last season after doing so in Texas’ win at No. 25/25 Vanderbilt on Oct. 26, earning the Burlsworth’s Trophy National Player of the Week and the SEC’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Taaffe forced two turnovers to go along with six tackles and a pass break-up against the Commodores. In the CFP Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl vs. Arizona State, Taaffe logged a career-high 10 tackles (six solo) and two pass break-ups to help send Texas to its second-consecutive CFP semifinal. Taaffe is a fifth-year defensive back who has played in 43 games with 26 starts.

The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce four finalists for the 2025 Bronko Nagurski Trophy in mid-to-late November, and the winner will be revealed at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet on Dec. 8 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 Bronko Nagurski 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.

The Longhorns kick off the season on the road at Ohio State at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Aug. 30, inside Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The game will broadcast as part of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, and ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast live from the Ohio State University campus. College GameDay will air for three hours from 8-11 a.m. CT, hosted by Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and other ESPN personalities. It will be the final show for longtime ESPN personality Lee Corso as he is set to retire following Week 1 of the 2025 season.

(via Texas release)