2019 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED

Contact Steve Richardson
tiger@fwaa.com
(214) 870-6516

DALLAS (FWAA) The Football Writers Association of America has announced the preseason watch list for the 2019 Outland Trophy presented by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. This season's list presents a rare wide-open field following the departure of all eight Outland Trophy semifinalists from a year ago and the return of only one FWAA All-American, offensive tackle Calvin Throckmorton of Oregon. The Ducks, along with Michigan, top the list with four selections among the 83 standout interior linemen representing all 10 Division I FBS conferences and independents.

This is the second year of a partnership with the NFID to present the Outland Trophy as part of a public awareness campaign focused on the importance of influenza (flu) prevention during the 2019-20 flu season. The award honoring the top interior lineman in college football will continue to be selected by the FWAA membership and has been rebranded as the Outland Trophy presented by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases with a social media hashtag of #FightFlu.

Throckmorton, a senior from Bellevue, Wash., was a second-team FWAA All-American and is the lone member of the 2018 FWAA All-America Team on either interior line to return this season. He is joined by three teammates, center Jake Hanson, guard Shane Lemieux and defensive tackle Jordon Scott. Michigan has four members of its offensive front on the list center Cesar Ruiz, guards Michael Onwenu and Ben Bredeson, and tackle Jon Runyan. Georgia has three players and 15 other schools have two representatives on the list of standouts.

University of Pittsburgh All-American Mark May, the 1980 Outland Trophy winner, will serve as the Outland Trophy #FightFlu ambassador for the upcoming season. May will make media appearances on behalf of the #FightFlu public awareness campaign to remind people to get their annual flu shots.

The recipient of the 74th Outland Trophy will be announced during ESPN's The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12, live from the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. The official presentation to the winner will be made at the NFID Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee on Jan. 15, 2020. Up to eight semifinalists will be named on Nov. 20 in Omaha and three finalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 25.

Candidates may be added or removed during the season. The distribution of watch list candidates is spread well among the conferences, with the Big Ten and SEC leading the way with 13 each. The Big 12 and Pac-12 are just behind with 12 apiece, followed by the ACC with 10 as well as the American Athletic (6), Independents and Mountain West (4 each), and Conference USA, Mid-American and Sun Belt (3 each). The list includes 32 offensive tackles, 19 defensive tackles, 18 guards and 14 centers.

2019 OUTLAND TROPHY PRESENTED BY NFID PRESEASON WATCH LIST (83)
T Trey Adams, Washington	G Shane Lemieux, Oregon
T Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas	DT Ray Lima, Iowa State
T Tremayne Anchrum, Clemson	T Walker Little, Stanford
G Jack Anderson, Texas Tech	T Abraham Lucas, Washington State
T Mekhi Becton, Louisville	DT James Lynch, Baylor
C Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin	DT Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
DT Ross Blacklock, TCU	DT Garrett Marino, UAB
DT Quinton Bohanna, Kentucky	T Colton McKivitz, West Virginia
G Parker Braun, Texas	G John Molchon, Boise State
G Ben Bredeson, Michigan	C Jimmy Morrissey, Pitt
DT Derrick Brown, Auburn	T Thayer Munford, Ohio State
T Jake Brown, UCF	DT Larrell Murchison, N.C. State
C Levi Brown, Marshall	DT Lorenzo Neal, Purdue
C Cohl Cabral, Arizona State	T Jake Nelson, Nevada
T Brady Christensen, BYU	T Lucas Niang, TCU
T Ezra Cleveland, Boise State	T Marcus Norman, USF
DT Doug Costin, Miami	G Michael Onwenu, Michigan
T Coy Cronk, Indiana	T Miles Pate, WKU
G Navaughn Donaldson, Miami	DT John Penisini, Utah
T Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame	T Benjamin Petrula, Boston College
G Jovahn Fair, Temple	C Cesar Ruiz, Michigan
DT Leki Fotu, Utah	T Jon Runyan, Michigan
DT Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma	DT Jordon Scott, Oregon
C Jake Hanson, Oregon	C Zach Shackelford, Texas
C Bryce Harris, Toledo	G Josh Sills, West Virginia
C Nick Harris, Washington	G John Simpson, Clemson
T Charlie Heck, North Carolina	T Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
T Justin Herron, Wake Forest	G Logan Stenberg, Kentucky
C Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma	T Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn
T Robert Hunt, Louisiana	T Andrew Thomas, Georgia
C Keith Ismael, San Diego State	T Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon
T Alaric Jackson, Iowa	DT Khyiris Tonga, BYU
C Jordan Johnson, UCF	G Tre'Vour Wallace-Sims, Missouri
T Victor Johnson, Appalachian State	C Darryl Williams, Mississippi State
T Josh Jones, Houston	DT Raequan Williams, Michigan State
G Luke Juriga, Western Michigan	T Jedrick Wills Jr., Alabama
G Kirk Kelley, Troy	T Isaiah Wilson, Georgia
G Solomon Kindley, Georgia	DT Marvin Wilson, Florida State
DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina	DT Robert Windsor, Penn State
G Tommy Kraemer, Notre Dame	T Tristan Wirfs, Iowa
G Gus Lavaka, Oregon State	C Dustin Woodard, Memphis
G Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
By conference: Big Ten 13, SEC 13, Big 12 12, Pac-12 12, ACC 10, American Athletic 6, Independents 4, Mountain West 4, Conference USA 3, Mid-American 3, Sun Belt 3.
By position: Offensive Tackles 32, Defensive Tackles 19, Offensive Guards 18, Centers 14.
Tackles, guards and centers are eligible for consideration Candidates may be added or removed during the season

The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from three finalists who are a part of the annual FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects a 26-man first team and eventually the three Outland finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner. Only interior linemen on offense or defense are eligible for the award; ends are not eligible.

The Outland Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the NCFAA.

The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a 10-day period this month. Sixteen of the association's 25 awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates. Following is the remainder of the 2019 preseason watch list calendar:

Tues., July 23: Outland Trophy presented by NFID/Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Wed., July 24: Lou Groza Award/Ray Guy Award
Thurs., July 25: Paul Hornung Award/Wuerffel Trophy
Fri., July 26: Walter Camp Award

The Outland Trophy, now in its 74th year, is the third-oldest major college football award. Created in 1946 when Dr. John Outland presented the FWAA with a financial contribution to initiate the award, the Outland Trophy has been given to the best interior lineman in college football ever since. Dr. Outland, an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1890s, eventually took up practice in Kansas City, Mo. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Outland believed linemen did not get the credit they deserved and wanted an award to recognize them.

About the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
Founded in 1973, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to educating the public and healthcare professionals about the causes, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases across the lifespan. Visit nfid.org for more information.

About the Football Writers Association of America
Founded in 1941, the non-profit Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) consists of more than 1,300 members, including journalists, broadcasters, publicists and key executives in all areas of college football. Led by current President Matt Fortuna of The Athletic, longtime Executive Director Steve Richardson, and a board of veteran journalists, the association continues to grow and work to help college football prosper at all levels. Visit footballwriters.com for more information about the FWAA and its award programs.

The Outland Trophy branding marks were developed by Torch Creative, a Dallas-based design studio with a heavy focus on branding, logo design and development, illustration and typography design. For more information, visit torchcreative.com.