Troy University Athletics
Martial, Solomon Land on Bronko Nagurski Watch List
7/26/2022 9:00:00 AM | Football
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TROY, Ala. – One day after dominating the Sun Belt Conference Preseason All-Conference defensive selections, Troy's defense was again in the spotlight, with Carlton Martial and Javon Solomon representing the Trojans on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List.
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Troy is one of just 20 teams with multiple players on the list and joins San Diego State, Cincinnati, San Jose State and Coastal Carolina as the only Group of Five schools with multiple players selected.
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The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the 2022 trophy on Nov. 16, and the winner will be unveiled Dec. 5 at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet in Charlotte, N.C. The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football, then became a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw "Bronko" Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
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Martial, a senior from Mobile, Ala., enters the 2022 season needing just 104 tackles to break Northwestern's Tim McGarigle career FBS record of 545 tackles. Martial enters the season with 442 tackles and has averaged 122 tackles each of the last three seasons.
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Coming off a season in which he was a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began his career as a walk-on), Martial is one of just two players at the FBS level since 2000 to record more than 425 tackles, 45 tackles for loss and five interceptions in their career – he has 442 tackles, 47 tackles for loss and five interceptions.
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Martial is the nation's leading tackler since the start of the 2018 season, 66 more than the next closest player. In addition to the FBS tackle record, Martial is also within distance of the Troy tackles for loss (19), Sun Belt tackles (18), FBS assisted tackles (49) and Troy tackles (128) records for his career.
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Solomon, a sophomore from Tallahassee, Fla., joined Martial on the Pro Football Network All-America team last year after he led the Sun Belt with 1.42 tackles for loss; he ranked 12th nationally in tackles for loss and eight in sacks (0.92/game). He set the Troy single-game record with five tackles for loss in the Trojans' victory at Southern Miss and added the second-most sacks in school history with 3.5 in the game.
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His three games with at least 2.5 tackles for loss were the third most in the country and his 11 overall sacks were the most by a Trojan in more than a decade. Solomon's game at Southern Miss was just the fifth time since 2017 that a player recorded at least nine tackles, five tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in a game and the first player in Sun Belt history to do so.
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Troy 2022 Watch List Selections
Doak Walker Award -Â Kimani Vidal
Rimington Trophy – Jake Andrews
Butkus Award – Carlton Martial
Bronko Nagurski Award – Carlton Martial, Javon Solomon
Outland Trophy – Will Choloh, Austin Stidham
TROY, Ala. – One day after dominating the Sun Belt Conference Preseason All-Conference defensive selections, Troy's defense was again in the spotlight, with Carlton Martial and Javon Solomon representing the Trojans on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List.
Â
Troy is one of just 20 teams with multiple players on the list and joins San Diego State, Cincinnati, San Jose State and Coastal Carolina as the only Group of Five schools with multiple players selected.
Â
The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the 2022 trophy on Nov. 16, and the winner will be unveiled Dec. 5 at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet in Charlotte, N.C. The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football, then became a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw "Bronko" Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
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Martial, a senior from Mobile, Ala., enters the 2022 season needing just 104 tackles to break Northwestern's Tim McGarigle career FBS record of 545 tackles. Martial enters the season with 442 tackles and has averaged 122 tackles each of the last three seasons.
Â
Coming off a season in which he was a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began his career as a walk-on), Martial is one of just two players at the FBS level since 2000 to record more than 425 tackles, 45 tackles for loss and five interceptions in their career – he has 442 tackles, 47 tackles for loss and five interceptions.
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Martial is the nation's leading tackler since the start of the 2018 season, 66 more than the next closest player. In addition to the FBS tackle record, Martial is also within distance of the Troy tackles for loss (19), Sun Belt tackles (18), FBS assisted tackles (49) and Troy tackles (128) records for his career.
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Solomon, a sophomore from Tallahassee, Fla., joined Martial on the Pro Football Network All-America team last year after he led the Sun Belt with 1.42 tackles for loss; he ranked 12th nationally in tackles for loss and eight in sacks (0.92/game). He set the Troy single-game record with five tackles for loss in the Trojans' victory at Southern Miss and added the second-most sacks in school history with 3.5 in the game.
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His three games with at least 2.5 tackles for loss were the third most in the country and his 11 overall sacks were the most by a Trojan in more than a decade. Solomon's game at Southern Miss was just the fifth time since 2017 that a player recorded at least nine tackles, five tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in a game and the first player in Sun Belt history to do so.
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Troy 2022 Watch List Selections
Doak Walker Award -Â Kimani Vidal
Rimington Trophy – Jake Andrews
Butkus Award – Carlton Martial
Bronko Nagurski Award – Carlton Martial, Javon Solomon
Outland Trophy – Will Choloh, Austin Stidham
Players Mentioned
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