Michigan DT Kris Jenkins, five others crack Outland, Nagurski watch lists

Published Aug. 01, 2023, 12:50 p.m.
By Aaron McMann |
Watch list season continued on Tuesday, with six Michigan football players appearing on two separate watch lists ahead of the 2023 season.
And one player in particular made both.
Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, who led all Michigan linemen with 54 tackles and two sacks last year, led the group with spots on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list and Outland Trophy watch list, both unveiled today.
The Nagurski trophy, awarded to the nation’s best defensive player, includes 94 players from 69 schools spanning all 10 FBS conferences. Linebacker Junior Colson and safety Rod Moore, a pair of sure-fire starters, joined Jenkins on the list.
Meanwhile, the Outland Trophy — won last year by Michigan’s Olu Oluwatimi — is doled out to college football’s best interior lineman. Center Drake Nugent and guards Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter are also on the list, giving the Wolverines four of the 91 players on the list.
Keegan and Zinter both return after starting much of last season at their respective spots, with Zinter garnering consensus first-team all-Big Ten honors. Nugent transferred in from Stanford, where he was a team captain and an honorable mention all-Pac-12 selection.