Pitt trio placed on Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list

Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images Pitt defensive standouts Paris Ford, Patrick Jones II and Jaylen Twyman all earned preseason recognition with placement on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list on Tuesday afternoon, according to an announcement from the Football Writers Association of America. The trophy, named for Minnesota great and NFL Hall of Famer Bronko Nagurski, has been awarded to college football’s Defensive Player of the Year annually since 1993.

The inclusion of Ford, Jones and Twyman on the 98-man list was enough to push the ACC ahead of the SEC as the conference with the most Nagurski candidates. The ACC leads the nation with 17, and the SEC comes in second with 15. In third is…