It seems that every year the Big 10 has a big name in the finals or even a winner of the Bronco Nagurski Trophy, which awards the National Defensive player of the year award. James Laurinaitis, who won the award in 2006 and was a finalist in 2007, returns for another year of contention and should be a shoo-in for another finals. Other than the Ohio State standout, nine other Big 10 players were announced as being considered for the trophy. They are: Illinois’ Vontae Davis, Indiana’s Greg Middleton, Iowa’s Mitch King, Michigan’s Terrance Taylor, Northwestern’s John Gill, Ohio State’s Marcus Freeman and Malcolm Jenkins, Penn State’s Maurice Evans, and Wisconsin’s Matt Shaughnessy.

This is yet another feather in the proverbial cap for the Big 10 in terms of football talent. All of these guys here have a decent chance at moving on, but I still think that it’s Laurinaitis’ to lose. Evans is a solid contender and Shaughnessy should have a great shot as well. While I understand that the SEC and Big 12 still have some very big names defensively, the Big 10 is known for its blue-collar smash mouth football, and my guess is that the trophy WILL end up here in the midwest when all is said and done.