June 12, 2007

UTEP seniors Quintin Demps and Jeremy Jones are two of the 49 players named to the 2007 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The trophy is awarded to the best defensive player in college football, and is sponsored by the Charlotte (N.C.) Touchdown Club.

The winner will be announced on Monday, Dec. 3 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte. Last year's recipient was Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is awarded in memory of the legendary Nagurski, a former All-America lineman at Minnesota in 1927-29 and a Chicago Bears star in the 1930s.

Rice junior linebacker Brian Raines, Marshall junior defensive end Albert McClellan and Southern Miss sophomore linebacker Gerald McRath are the only other Conference USA players on this year's watch list.

Demps, a 6-1, 215-pound free safety, continues to pile up preseason honors. He has been named to The Sporting News' All-America Team and was also chosen the best defensive back in the Lone Star State by Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine. Demps is projected to be selected in the first two rounds of the 2008 NFL Draft by some analysts.

The San Antonio native was a first team All-Conference USA selection by the coaches and media in 2006, tallying 67 tackles and a league-leading seven interceptions. He was tied for fifth in the nation in picks. Demps has started 35 games for UTEP over the last three seasons and owns 12 career interceptions.

Jones is on the Nagurski watch list for the second straight year. The 6-1, 235-pound linebacker missed all but two games last season after breaking his leg in practice. He was leading the Miners in tackles with 24 prior to sustaining the injury. The San Jose, Calif. product led UTEP with 130 tackles in 2005, the 14th-best total in the NCAA. He earned second team All-Conference honors by the coaches and media as a junior.

Jones had 14.5 tackles for losses in 2005 and recorded double-digit stops in eight games, including a career-high 18 at Rice.

For the fourth straight season, a UTEP linebacker is on the Nagurski watch list. Robert Rodriguez was a candidate for the award in 2004, Thomas Howard in 2005 and Jones the last two years.