DALLAS (FWAA) – Oklahoma defensive tackle Jayden Jackson posted a career-high 2.5 sacks among a school-record defensive punch by the Sooners in a 24-17 home win Saturday over No. 22 Auburn. Jackson doubled his career sack total in the game and has earned the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Sept. 20, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the third season for the FWAA to select an Outland Trophy National Player of the Week as part of the NCFAA's weekly national honors from 12 awards. The recipient of the 2025 Outland Trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, live on ESPN on Dec. 12. The official presentation to the winner will be made at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee in Omaha, Neb., on Jan. 21, 2026.
The weekly winners, including Jackson, are added to the preseason Outland Trophy watch list going forward. Oklahoma has a rich history with the Outland Trophy with five former winners, the most recent being offensive tackle Jammal Brown in 2004. Offensive tackle Orlando Brown is the Sooners’ most recent finalist from 2017.
Jackson, a 6-2, 322-pounder from Indianapolis, Ind., who played at the IMG Academy in Florida, entered the game with 2.5 career sacks but quickly added to the total. He was the leader among eight Sooners who had at least half a sack as Oklahoma held the Tigers to 287 total yards, hampering them throughout with 14 tackles for loss.
The Sooners tied a school record with nine sacks in the win with defensive linemen accounting for 7.5 of them.
Jackson’s first sack came on a first-down play in the second quarter. The next two sack plays came on consecutive second- and third-down snaps on Auburn's following possession, forcing a punt. He also made a third-quarter tackle on a pass play that resulted in no gain, one of his 5.0 total tackles that tied another career high.
Behind Jackson and a formidable defensive front, head coach Brent Venables’ defensive style emphasizing pressure has taken form. In its 4-0 start that includes wins over nationally-ranked opponents Michigan and Auburn, Oklahoma is all over the top of the national defensive statistics tied for the national-best averaging 4.0 sacks per game, fourth in total defense (207.5 yards per game), sixth averaging 9.2 tackles for loss per game and is eighth in scoring defense, giving up only 9.0 points per game.
The Sooners’ momentum catches its breath for the moment as Oklahoma is idle this weekend. They host Kent State at 4 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 4, on the SEC Network.
The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from 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 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, celebrating 80 years since its founding, 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.
The Outland Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
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The Greater Omaha Sports Committee, founded in 1977, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, consisting of more than 1,300 men and women from the City of Omaha, the State of Nebraska, and others. The Committee serves to communicate, develop, initiate and promote sports activities in the Greater Omaha sports area. In addition to the Outland Trophy Award Events and Dinner, the Greater Omaha Sports Committee promotes high school, college, and professional sports in the Greater Omaha area and the Midwest. For more information contact Bob Mancuso Jr., Chairman at bmancuso@showofficeonline.com or see showofficeonline.com.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.