One of the most coveted trophies in college football, UCF junior Josh Robinson (Sunrise, Fla.) was selected to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List by the Football Writers Association of America Friday.
Robinson was one of just 14 cornerbacks in the country who received a spot on the prestigious list, as the award is handed out to the nation’s best defensive player.
This marked the fourth-straight season UCF had a player watched by the FWAA for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, as Robinson joined Bruce Miller (2010), Torell Troup (2009) and Joe Burnett (2008) on the preseason list in the last four years.
Robinson now sits on three watch lists this summer. The College Football Performance Awards also placed him on their Defensive Back Trophy and Punt Returner Trophy lists.
An All-Conference USA First Team selection in 2010, Robinson already ranks in a tie for sixth all-time at UCF with eight interceptions in just two campaigns in a Black and Gold uniform. His 13 pass break-ups a year ago were the fourth-most in single-season history, and he completed the year with 59 tackles in 13 games played.
The Sunrise native was responsible for containing Georgia star wide receiver A.J. Green during the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and Robinson kept Green out of the endzone to help lift UCF to the 10-6 win.
Robinson appeared on the All-C-USA Second Team as well as the C-USA All-Freshman Team in 2009 when he amassed six interceptions and eight break-ups.
The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Nov. 17, and the winner is chosen from the finalists who are part of the FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects the 25-man team and eventually the Bronko Nagurski finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner, the best defensive player in America. The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet will be on Dec. 12 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C.