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OU football preseason watch: Sooners nominated for three more national awards

By Chip Rouse

NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 15: Head Coach Bob Stoops of the Oklahoma Sooners talks to players before the game against the Kansas State Wildcats October 15, 2016 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Kansas State 38-17. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** local caption *** Bob Stoops;
NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 15: Head Coach Bob Stoops of the Oklahoma Sooners talks to players before the game against the Kansas State Wildcats October 15, 2016 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Kansas State 38-17. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** local caption *** Bob Stoops; /
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The rollout of 2017 preseason national award watch lists continued on Thursday with several more OU football players making the list for three more individual awards.

Oklahoma seniors Jordan Thomas and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo are among 103 candidates who are being considered at this stage for the 2017 Bronko Nagurski Trophy.  The Nagurski Trophy is presented annually to the best defensive player in NCAA college football. Names are added and removed from the watch list for the award as the season progresses.

Both Thomas and Okoronkwo were named to the 2017 Preseason All-Big 12 Team this week and are two of seven returning starters on the Sooner defensive unit for 2017.

Offensive tackle Orlando Brown, who earlier this week was named a preseason nominee for the Maxwell Award, which honors the college football Player of the Year, has also been added to the watch list for the Outland Trophy, which is presented every season to the best interior lineman in college football.

junior placekicker Austin Seibert is on the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award. The award is presented every year by the Augusta Sports Council to the college player voted as the most outstanding punter. Seibert averages just under 42 yards per punt in his first two seasons at OU. Last season, he punted a total of 48 times. Twenty-nine were fielded as fair catches and 22 were placed inside of the opponent’s 20-yard line.

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Two former Sooners are previous winners of the Nagurski Trophy: safety Roy Williams in 2001 and cornerback Derrick Strait in 2003.

An Oklahoma Sooner has never won the Ray Guy Award, which was first presented in the 2000 season.

So far this week, seven OU players have been named to the preseason watch lists for seven different individual national awards. Still to come are the candidate lists for the Lou Groza Award, honoring the best placekicker in college football, and the Jim Thorpe Award, recognizing the best defensive back.

Here is the rundown of OU players and award nominations so far:

Maxwell Award (College Player of the Year)

QB Baker Mayfield

OT Orlando Brown

Bednarik Award

LB Ogbonnia Okronkwo

DB Jordan Thomas

Outland Trophy

OT Orlando Brown

Nagurski Trophy

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo

DB Jordan Thomas

Rimington Trophy (most outstanding center in college football)

C Erick Wren

Ray Guy Award (top college punter)

P Austin Seibert

Mackey Award (most outstanding collegiate tight end)

TE Mark Andrews

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