University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
McRath Named to Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List
6/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
June 13, 2007
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss linebacker Gerald McRath has been named to the watch list for the 2007 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, as announced by the Football Writers Association of America.
The prestigious honor is awarded to the best defensive player in college football and is sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The FWAA All-America Committee selects the winner from the association's 11-man All-America defensive team in November. The watch list, which consists of 49 players, was developed by the FWAA All-America committee with the help of the schools and conferences.
McRath, a redshirt sophomore from Powder Springs, Ga., was a third-team All-Conference USA selection and All-Freshman team member, as well as a first-team Sporting News Freshman All-American. He led the Golden Eagles in tackles with 104 tackles, including 59 solos stops, two sacks, 11 tackles for loss, one pass breakup and two forced fumbles. He finished with double-digit tackles in six games, including a season-high 15 against Houston in the Conference USA championship game. McRath also was named to the Scripps Freshman All-American team as selected by the Football Writers of America and to the Freshman All-American team by CollegeFootballNews.com.
Five Conference USA players are among the 49 standouts named to the watch list. McRath is joined by Marshall's Albert McClellan (FS, Sr., Lakeland, Fla.), Rice's Brian Raines (LB, Jr., Missouri City, Texas) and UTEP's Quintin Demps (FS, Sr., San Antonio, Texas) and Jeremy Jones (LB, Sr., San Jose Calif.).
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is awarded in memory of the legendary Nagurski, a former All-America lineman at Minnesota in 1927-29 and a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s. The Charlotte Touchdown Club will hold the 2007 banquet on Monday, Dec. 3, at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte. Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis won the 2006 Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
