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Snubbed by Heisman voters, Jonathan Allen wins Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Year award.

Allen becomes first ‘Bama defender to win the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

Alabama does
Jeff Siner / Charlotte Observer via AP

Call it the defensive Heisman, but, after being snubbed by Heisman voters, Alabama’s Jonathan Allen took home something unique for Alabama, the school’s first Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

The award is “presented annually to the Top Defensive Player in college football. The nominees are selected from all Division I schools and voted on by members of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).” [Ed. Note: Some authors and editors on this site are FWAA members and vote for this and other postseason awards, including the Outland Trophy.]

Recent defensive line winners of the Nagurski Award include Glenn Dorsey (LSU) and Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska,) so Allen joins a very good class of down linemen to win the award, which has tended to favor linebackers.

Some of Allen’s competitors for the Nagurski included teammate Reuben Foster, Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers and Clemson’s DE, Christian Wilkins.

In case you missed Allen’s stat line, Alabama football is here to remind you:

At some point, we run out of adjectives to describe Allen and his achievements at the Capstone. It is a problem we gladly embrace.

Roll Tide, Mr. Allen