UNLV’s Andre Porter Earns National Defensive Honor After Pick-Six, Late Strip Sack

By Habari Sports

DALLAS — UNLV sophomore defensive end and linebacker Andre Porter earned Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honors after delivering two pivotal plays in the Rebels’ 13–7 victory over previously unbeaten North Dakota State.

The Football Writers Association of America selected Porter for the weekend of October 10 after his first-quarter interception return provided UNLV’s only touchdown and his fourth-quarter strip sack helped stop a late Bison scoring threat.

The victory at Allegiant Stadium extended the Rebels’ winning streak to three games.

Pick-Six Gives UNLV an Early Advantage

Porter put UNLV on the scoreboard approximately five minutes into the game, intercepting a pass and returning it 23 yards for a touchdown.

According to the FWAA announcement, the play marked the first time North Dakota State had trailed this season. In a game ultimately decided by six points, Porter’s return supplied the Rebels with a crucial early advantage.

The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Las Vegas native later made another important play in front of his hometown crowd. His fourth-quarter strip sack forced a fumble and helped end a North Dakota State possession that resulted in a punt.

Porter finished with two tackles, an interception returned for a touchdown, a sack and a forced fumble.

Rebels’ Defense Delivers Throughout

Porter’s performance anchored a broader defensive effort that kept North Dakota State to seven points.

UNLV intercepted three passes, recorded two sacks and stopped both of the Bison’s fourth-down attempts. The FWAA described the seven points as the fewest allowed to a UNLV conference opponent at home since 2007.

Porter’s sack brought his season total to 3.0, tying him for fifth in the Mountain West at the time of the announcement.

He also earned Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week, becoming the third different Rebel to receive the conference’s defensive weekly honor this season.

A Family Connection to UNLV

Porter’s success carries a family connection to the university.

Both of his parents attended UNLV, and his father, Donnell Porter, lettered for the Rebels on defense in the early 1990s.

Now in his third season with the program, the younger Porter has also earned recognition in the classroom. He received Academic All-Mountain West honors in 2025, when he appeared in all 14 games as a freshman and recorded three tackles and one sack.

His earlier academic achievements include placement on the UNLV Dean’s Honor List and recognition as a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete in 2024.

That year, he was also selected to the National Football Foundation’s Team of Distinction, joining a group of 84 student-athletes chosen from approximately 3,500 high school seniors considered.

National Honor Adds Porter to Trophy Watch List

Porter is the third UNLV player to earn Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week recognition since the weekly award began in 2001.

He is the program’s first recipient since linebacker Jackson Woodard earned the honor in the opening week of the 2024 season. Woodard later received FWAA Second Team All-America recognition.

Porter’s selection also adds him to the 2026 Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list, according to the FWAA. UNLV has yet to produce a finalist or winner of the trophy, which recognizes college football’s top defensive player.

The FWAA and Charlotte Touchdown Club are scheduled to announce the four finalists on November 19. The trophy will be presented at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet on December 7 at the Charlotte Convention Center, with the winner also announced during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN on December 11.

Source: Football Writers Association of America release supplied to Habari Sports.