Abou Jaoude Eyes Bronko Nagurski | Tar Heel Basketball News

Melkart Abou Jaoude, North Carolina’s dominant defensive lineman, is heating up the preseason watch list for the prestigious Bronko Nagurski Trophy — college football’s top defensive player award. Last season, he led the ACC with 10.5 sacks (fifth nationally), played more snaps than any other ACC DL, and racked up 47 tackles while earning ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors after a monster game vs. Syracuse. He also added 12 TFLs, 5 QB hurries, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. With finalists announced Nov. 19 and the winner crowned Dec. 7, Abou Jaoude’s momentum continues as UNC opens the 2026 season Aug. 29 in Dublin against TCU. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/e768c8a8745947eb