Kentucky football duo among selections for Nagurski Trophy

Preseason awards are starting to fly around and for the Kentucky Wildcats, more honors have been awarded to some of the notable standouts.

Both Maxwell Hairston and Deone Walker were among the honorees for the Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List, announced on Monday.

The Nagurski Award is given to the nation's top defensive player.

The list includes 75 Division I defensive athletes.

Both Walker and Hairston were named All-SEC First Team selections earlier this month at SEC Media Day.

Walker was also just named to the Outland Trophy Watch List on Monday.

This is yet another award that Walker has received a preseason honors for. Walker is coming off of a 2023 season when he was a Third-Team All-American and enters this season as a preseason Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC selection. 

Walker led Kentucky in tackles for loss (12.5), sacks (7.5) and QB hurries (8) last season. He has clearely put himself in position to be in the conversation for SEC Defensive Player of the Year this season -- regardless of Kentucky's record. He's been that dominant at his position.

For Hairston, he was one of the top defenders in all of college football a season ago, ranking fifth in the country with five interceptions. Those were also fifth-most in Kentucky football history. He also had eight passes defended which ranked eigth in the SEC.

The Kentucky defense has the players to be among the most talented in the league in 2024. There's no doubting that. We'll see if it comes together, but the preseason awards are certainly stacking up.