STILLWATER – Oklahoma State safety Kolby Harvell-Peel has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Football Writers Association of America and Charlotte Touchdown Club announced Tuesday.

Harvell-Peel is one of 98 total players and 12 Big 12 players included on the watch list for the award, which is awarded annually to the “National Defensive Player of the Year.” It marks the third preseason watch list for Harvell-Peel in 2020, as he was also included on the lists for the Bednarik and Thorpe Awards.

As a sophomore in 2019, Harvell-Peel earned first team All-Big 12 honors from both the coaches and the Associated Press and was honored by the OSU coaches with the Bob Fenimore Award presented to the team’s most valuable player.

The College Station, Texas, native made a significant contribution in a wide variety of areas last year, posting 71 tackles, five interceptions, 13 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles, a sack, three tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry. His five interceptions ranked seventh nationally and his two fumble recoveries tied for 27th nationally, which made him one of only two FBS players who ranked in the top 30 nationally in both categories.

Also noteworthy, Harvell-Peel led the Big 12 and ranked fourth in the FBS with 1.5 passes defended per game in 2019. His up six pass break ups as part of Oklahoma State’s win at No. 23 Iowa State set a school record and matched the highest single-game total in the FBS in 2019.

Players may be added or removed from the Nagurski Trophy watch list during the course of the season. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy near the end of the season, and the winner will be chosen from those five finalists.