CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FWAA) – As the leader of one of the FBS’ top defensive fronts with tackle numbers that place him among the country’s best at negating plays in the backfield, South Carolina edge rusher Kyle Kennard has earned the 2024 Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player from the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. Kennard, one of the FBS’ top sack leaders, was honored tonight with the award here in Charlotte, N.C., at a gala banquet.
The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association's entire membership, selected the defensive player of the year, who is part of the 2024 FWAA All-America Team to be released on Dec. 17. Kennard's honors give the Southeastern Conference a Nagurski Trophy winner for the third time in four seasons and the fifth time since 2016.
Kennard, a 6-5, 254-pound senior from Atlanta, Ga., is the first Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner from South Carolina. He was chosen from a finalist field that also included Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter and Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. South Carolina’s only previous Bronko Nagurski finalist was defensive end Jadeveon Clowney in 2012 during his sophomore season.
Kennard posted 15.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks during the 2024 regular season, the top marks in the Southeastern Conference. The 15.5 traps behind the line have resulted in 112 yards lost to opponents and tied for 13th in the nation. The 11.5 sacks are sixth in the FBS. Kennard created 10 quarterback hurries and forced three fumbles, recovered two fumbles and has 28 total tackles on the season.
South Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton White was already blessed with eight returning defensive starters coming into 2024. Then he added Kennard on the edge of his “Flex-Nickel” defensive mix and the results have been one of the top defenses in school history. Kennard, in his first season at South Carolina after four at Georgia Tech, quickly became one of the SEC’s terrors on the outside, standing out among a mix of outstanding edge rushers in the conference. His 11.5 sacks are just over a quarter of South Carolina’s 40 overall sacks that are second in the SEC and tied for third nationally.
Kennard is certain to be among the top players recognized on the All-SEC teams to be released Tuesday. He becomes South Carolina’s first FWAA All-American since 2018 (kick returner Deebo Samuel) and its first First-Team All-American and first on defense since Clowney in 2012.
His 2024 tackle numbers make Kennard second on Carolina’s single-season top-10 sacks list, 1.5 sacks shy of Clowney’s school record of 13.0, and fourth in single-season tackles for loss. His next TFL will move him into third place. Kennard is ninth among active FBS players with 24.0 career sacks.
Kennard is not just a tackling phenom but a ball hawk as well. He and fellow USC defensive end Dylan Stewart have each forced three fumbles, tied for 12th in the FBS, as South Carolina’s 18 forced fumbles are the program’s highest total since at least 1990 according to school data. The Gamecocks forced just eight fumbles during the 2023 season.
The banner defensive play led by Kennard rallied South Carolina into College Football Playoff contention late in the season. The Gamecocks’ win over rival Clemson on Nov. 30 earned a ninth win for the first time since 2017 and a six-game win streak for the first time since 2013. The 17-14 win was also its fourth over a ranked team this season, a school record, and gave South Carolina four road wins in a season for the first time since 2006.
Kennard is coached by outside linebackers and defensive ends coach Sterling Lucas and now becomes just the second South Carolina player to win one of the National College Football Awards Association’s awards, joining 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers.
South Carolina accepted a bid Sunday to play in the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31, facing Illinois. Kennard has accepted an invitation to play in the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl on Feb. 1, 2025.
The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association's entire membership, selected the defensive player of the year who is part of the 2024 FWAA All-America Team. Kennard will receive the trophy Monday night 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.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.
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Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.