AMES — Iowa State safeties Jeremiah Cooper and Beau Freyler have both been named to the 2024 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, presented annually to the best defensive player in college football.

Cooper and Freyler are two of 16 safeties on the list and the only safety teammates featured. In total, 75 defensive players from 56 schools are represented on the list.

Cooper is a preseason All-Big 12 selection after earning first-team honors in 2023. He played and started 11 games last season and finished second in the Big 12 Conference and sixth nationally with five interceptions. Cooper tallied 45 tackles and ranked fourth nationally in passes defended per game (1.4).

Freyler enters his senior season following an All-Big 12 campaign as a junior in 2023. He compiled 107 tackles, becoming the first Cyclone to reach 100 tackles in a season since 2017. Freyler tied for fourth among Big 12 players for tackles and also had three INTs and five pass breakups.