For the third straight year, a UTEP linebacker is on the preseason watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Award, presented to the best defensive player in college football.

Jeremy Jones is one of 56 candidates for this year's trophy, as released on Thursday by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). UTEP's Robert Rodriguez and Thomas Howard were on the watch list in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been a staple of the FWAA's awards since 1993. It is sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club, which has held the annual awards banquet since 1995. The 2006 banquet is set for Monday, Dec. 4 in Charlotte, where five finalists will vie for the prize.

The FWAA All-America Committee selects the Bronko Nagurski winner from the association's 11-man All-America defensive team in late November. Players may be added from the Bronko Nagurski Watch List during the course of the 2005 season.

For the sixth straight season, the FWAA will select Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Players of the Week, beginning with games the week of Sept. 2 and running through the middle of November. Each national player of the week will be added to the trophy's watch list throughout the season.

Jones is one of three players from Conference USA on the watch list, along with Tulsa linebacker Nick Bunting and UAB defensive end Larry McSwain.

A senior from San Jose, Calif., Jones led the Miners with 130 tackles, 14.5 tackles for losses and four forced fumbles last season. He had double-digit tackles in eight games, and closed out the year ranked third in C-USA and 14th nationally with 10.8 stops per contest.