Caden Jenkins Named Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week

DALLAS – Baylor football freshman cornerback Caden Jenkins has been named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week, as announced Tuesday by the Football Writers Association of America.

After his first-career interception kickstarted Baylor’s largest comeback in school history, Jenkins contributed again with a fourth-quarter fumble return for a touchdown in Saturday’s 36-35 win at UCF. The 6-foot-1 first-year corner from Lewisville, Texas, snuffed out UCF’s drive in the red zone with a pick on the BU 14-yard line with just 37 seconds remaining in the third quarter and the Bears trailing 35-10. Nine minutes later, following two Baylor touchdowns and two-point conversions, Jenkins’ 72-yard scoop and score swung the momentum heavily in BU’s favor and brought the Bears back within two points. Kicker Isaiah Hankins nailed the game-winning field goal from 25 yards out with 1:21 left on the clock to seal the victory.

Jenkins also made two solo tackles in the game and was previously named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, becoming the first Baylor freshman in program history to garner the accolade.

Each week during the regular season, the FWAA has selected a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week since 2001. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Nov. 15. The national defensive player of the year will be chosen from those finalists who are part of the 2023 FWAA All-America Team and presented with the trophy at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet on Dec. 4 at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Players may be added or removed from the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list during the course of the season. If not already on the watch list, each week’s honored player, including Jenkins this week, will be added at that time. Baylor senior defensive lineman Gabe Hall was previously named to the watch list during the preseason.

Baylor has not had a Bronko Nagurski Trophy honoree in its past, but its two most recent FWAA All-Americans have come from the defensive side in linemen James Lynch (2019) and Andrew Billings (2015). The Bears’ last defensive back to earn FWAA All-America honors was Thomas Everett in 1986.