Allen, Cabinda named to Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list

Days after being named candidates for the Chuck Bednarik Award, Marcus Allen and Jason Cabinda were on the Bronko Naguski Trophy watch list, which was released Thursday morning.

Allen and Cabinda were two of 103 players recognized for the award, which has been given to the national defensive player of the year since 1993.

Penn State has never had a Nagurski Trophy winner. However, there have been five finalists — Courtney Brown (1999), LaVar Arrington (1999), Tamba Hali (2005), Devon Still (2011) and Carl Nassib (2015).

Allen and Cabinda now have a chance to become the first Nittany Lion winner.

Allen made a team-high 110 tackles, while Cabinda tallied 81 tackles in just nine games after missing five contests to injury in 2016.

The safety and linebacker, along with their Penn State teammates, open the 2017 season on Sept. 2 against Akron.

This story was originally published July 13, 2017 at 7:46 PM with the headline "Allen, Cabinda named to Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list."