DALLAS (FWAA) – Cincinnati left tackle Joe Cotton protected the country’s top-rated quarterback and led the push from one of the nation’s top offenses last week in a 38-30 win over No. 14 Iowa State. For his efforts up front with the surging Bearcats, Cotton earned the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Oct. 4, 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 Cotton this week, are added to the Outland Trophy watch list going forward. Cincinnati has not had an Outland Trophy finalist in its history.
Cotton wears #74 as a 6-6, 317-pound redshirt junior offensive tackle from Sioux Falls, S.D. A transfer from South Dakota where he logged 27 starts and two all-conference nods at left tackle and now in his first season with the Bearcats, Cotton was an FCS All-American last season and was regarded as the spring transfer portal’s No. 1 offensive lineman. He has been a welcome addition to a Cincinnati line that has the Bearcats at or near the top of multiple national offensive categories.
As Cincinnati handed Iowa State its first loss last Saturday, Cotton had the best grade on the offensive line by Pro Football Focus College at 76.2 and was on the Big 12 PFF Team for the Week. The Bearcats posted a season-high 260 yards rushing, with 216 yards coming in the first half as they jumped out to a 31-7 lead. Cincinnati scored on its first five possessions and the offensive line did not allow sack in the game for the fourth time this season. Cincinnati had 12 explosive runs totaling 191 yards on 12 carries, and earned the Big 12 Offensive Line of the Week for the third time this season.
As a group, Cincinnati’s line has allowed just one sack, tied for the national lead. Its offense is second nationally in yards per play (8.05) and yards per rush (6.58). The Bearcats are second in the Big 12 in scoring (39.2) and third in total offense (478.4).
Cotton’s protection, plus that of the entire line, has allowed quarterback Brendan Sorsby to perform as the nation’s highest-rated quarterback per PFF (91.1). He has 17 total touchdowns (12 passing, five rushing) against just one turnover, is fifth nationally and leads the Big 12 in Total QBR (87.6) and has been the Big 12’s Offensive Player of the Week twice. Running back Evan Pryor is fourth in the country in yards per carry (9.1).
The line’s play Saturday – buoyed by fourth-year starter and three-time team captain Gavin Gerhardt’s 40 career starts at center – ushered in Cincinnati’s win against the highest-ranked opponent at Nippert Stadium since No. 7 Rutgers fell 30-11 there in 2006 in Big East Conference play.
Beyond Cotton and Gerhardt, the Bearcats added transfer right guard Taran Tyo in the offseason, redshirt sophomore Evan Tengesdahl won the opening day left guard job after a strong camp and redshirt senior Deondre Buford (25 career starts) and redshirt junior Ethan Green have both started games at right tackle.
Riding a four-game win streak and receiving votes in both national polls, Cincinnati hosts UCF on Saturday with a Noon ET kickoff on FS1.
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 (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients since 1935. For more information about the NCFAA, visit ncfaa.org.
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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.