Red-shirt senior safety Michael Hamlin was one of 88 players named to the Watch List for the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is awarded to the best defensive player in college football. The Nagurski Award is presented by the Football Writers Association and sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club.
A native of Timmonsville, SC, Hamlin was named to the All-ACC Second Team in 2007 and ranked second on the Clemson defense with 97 tackles on the season. He finished the season strong with 14 tackles in just 54 plays against Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Hamlin is entering his fourth season as a starter at safety for Clemson and has been a common denominator on three Tiger defenses that have ranked in the top 25 in the nation in four major statistical categories. He has 12 career takeaways, most among active players and tied for eighth in school history. Hamlin, who graduated Friday with a degree in sport management, is also a candidate for the Jim Thorpe Award.
The award for the nation's best defensive player of the 2008 season will be presented on Sunday, December 7 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, NC. The FWAA All-America Committee selects the Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner from the association's 11-man All-America defensive team in November. The watch list was developed by the FWAA All-America committee with the help of schools and conferences.
The Nagurski Trophy has been presented since 1993 and is awarded in memory of the legendary Bronko Nagurski, a former All-America lineman at Minnesota in 1927-29 and a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s. LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey won the award in 2007 and was the fifth pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
