Dallas -- University of Texas DT Malcom Brown , CB Quandre Diggs and DE Cedric Reed have been placed on the watch list for the 2014 Nagurski Trophy, honoring the nation's top defensive player, while Brown and C Dominic Espinosa have been named to the Outland Trophy list for the nation's top interior lineman, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) announced Thursday.

Brown, a junior defensive tackle from Brenham, Texas, collected 68 tackles last season, starting all 13 games. He ranked tied for third on the team in pass breakups (5), third in tackles for loss (12) and third in QB pressures (6).

Diggs, a senior, is a three-year starting cornerback who has tallied 168 career tackles, 32 pass breakups and eight interceptions. Last season, the Angleton, Texas, native was an honorable mention All-Big 12 choice after posting 58 tackles and a team-high 10 pass breakups.

Espinosa has played in 39 career games entering his senior year, all starts at center over the last three seasons. His 39 straight starts are the most of any returner for the Longhorns. A native of Cedar Park, Texas, he earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors in 2013 after helping the offense rank 36th nationally in rushing (196.2 yards per game), and aiding the line in surrendering just 16 sacks (1.3 pg), which ranked tied for 17th fewest in the FBS.

A senior from Cleveland, Texas, Reed is coming off his best season. He earned 2013 first-team All-Big 12 honors after posting 79 tackles, including 10 sacks, and five forced fumbles. Reed ranked third in the Big 12 and tied for 18th in the FBS in sacks (0.77 per game), and tied for second in the league and tied for fifth in the nation in forced fumbles (0.38 pg).

The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2014 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Nov. 20. The winner will be chosen from those five finalists who are part of the 2014 FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association's entire membership, selects the 26-man All-America Team and eventually the 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 held on Dec. 8 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte.

The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from three finalists who are part of the FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects the 26-man first team and eventually the Outland finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner. Only interior linemen on offense or defense are eligible for the award; ends are not eligible.

The list will be trimmed to six or seven semifinalists on Nov. 20. Four days later, three Outland Trophy finalists will be named by the FWAA. The winner of the 69th Outland Trophy, named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn at the turn of the 20th century, will be announced on ESPN on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 11 from Disney's Boardwalk in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be held on Jan. 15, 2015, in Omaha, Neb.

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