Six Big East players have been named to the defensive watch lists for the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA).

The defensive awards are grouped by position. Memphis' Martin Ifedi and UCF's E.J. Dunston made the defensive line watch list; UConn's Yawin Smallwood, Houston's Derrick Mathews and Temple's Tyler Matakevich made the linebacker watch list; and Houston's Zach McMillian made the defensive back watch list.

All CFPA recipients are picked by "objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams," according to the release.

Temple's Brandon McManus won last year's CFPA Specialist Trophy.