Award:
| Year | Winner | School | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Rob Waldrop | Arizona | DT |
| 1994 | Warren Sapp | Miami (FL) | DT |
| 1995 | Pat Fitzgerald | Northwestern | LB |
| 1996 | Pat Fitzgerald | Northwestern | LB |
| 1997 | Charles Woodson | Michigan | CB |
| 1998 | Champ Bailey | Georgia | CB |
| 1999 | Corey Moore | Virginia Tech | LB |
| 2000 | Dan Morgan | Miami (FL) | LB |
| 2001 | Roy Williams | Oklahoma | S |
| 2002 | Terrell Suggs | Arizona State | DE |
| 2003 | Derrick Strait | Oklahoma | CB |
| 2004 | Derrick Johnson | Texas | LB |
| 2005 | Elvis Dumervil | Louisville | DE |
| 2006 | James Laurinaitis | Ohio State | LB |
| 2007 | Glenn Dorsey | LSU | DT |
| 2008 | Brian Orakpo | Texas | LB |
| 2009 | Ndamukong Suh | Nebraska | DT |
| 2010 | Da'Quan Bowers | Clemson | DE |
| 2011 | Luke Kuechly | Boston College | LB |
| 2012 | Manti Te'o | Notre Dame | LB |
| 2013 | Aaron Donald | Pittsburgh | DT |
| 2014 | Scooby Wright III | Arizona | LB |
| 2015 | Tyler Matakevich | Temple | LB |
| 2016 | Jonathan Allen | Alabama | DE |
| 2017 | Bradley Chubb | NC State | DE |
| 2018 | Josh Allen | Kentucky | LB |
| 2019 | Chase Young | Ohio State | DE |
| 2020 | Zaven Collins | Tulsa | LB |
| 2021 | Will Anderson Jr. | Alabama | LB |