DALLAS (FWAA) – Notre Dame guard Sullivan Absher anchored the right side of the Fighting Irish offensive line Saturday, propelling a balanced attack that produced 204 rushing yards and 222 passing yards in a 35-13 win over Navy in Foxboro, Mass. For maintaining the dominance up front combined with high blocking grades, Absher was selected as the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Oct. 31 by the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the fourth 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 2026 Outland Trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, live on ESPN on Dec. 11. 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. 27, 2027.
Absher is the fourth Notre Dame player to earn the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honor and the first since guard Billy Schrauth won it the week of Oct. 18, 2025. The weekly winners, including Absher this week, are added to the award’s watch list going forward.
The 6-foot-7, 320-pound senior from Belmont, N.C., started at right guard for a seventh time this season and was a key part of Notre Dame’s line that showcased its physicality up front, especially in the second half during the Irish’s 28-0 scoring run. He earned a 82.1 overall grade and an 89.0 run-block grade from PFF. Absher has started at right guard in 12 of Notre Dame’s last 13 games, and the Irish are 11-1 in that span.
Notre Dame averaged 7.0 yards per rush against Navy as part of their 204 yards on the ground, highlighted by Nolan James Jr.’s 107 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries. Absher and the line didn’t give up a sack for a fifth consecutive game, protection that gave CJ Carr time to throw for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
The Irish offense is tied for fifth in the nation in scoring, averaging 40.1 points per game and Notre Dame has the second-highest point differential among FBS teams this season at 216.
Notre Dame has three Outland Trophy winners in its past but 50 years have passed since its last winner, defensive end Ross Browner in 1976. Previous winners also include guard Bill Fisher in 1948 and tackle George Connor in 1946. The Irish have recent finalists in offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg from 2020 and guard Quenton Nelson in 2017.
The fourth-ranked Irish (7-1) play one of the season’s most anticipated matchups Saturday, hosting top-ranked Miami (8-0) and its high-scoring offense at Notre Dame Stadium in a 7:30 ET kickoff on NBC and Peacock.
The FWAA will announce the Outland Trophy semifinalists on Nov. 18, and those players will then be paired down to three finalists announced on Nov. 24. The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from those finalists who will be 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 and edge rushers are not eligible.
The Outland Trophy, celebrating 81 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 nearly 1,000 recipients since 1935. Visit NCFAA.org for more information or follow on X at @NCFAA.
Werner Enterprises, Inc. delivers superior truckload transportation and logistics services to customers across the United States, Mexico and Canada. With 2022 revenues of $3.3 billion, an industry-leading modern truck and trailer fleet, more than 14,000 talented associates and our innovative Werner EDGE technology, we are an essential solutions provider for customers who value the integrity of their supply chain and require safe and exceptional on time service. Werner provides Dedicated and One-Way Truckload services as well as Logistics services that include 1truckload brokerage, freight management, intermodal and final mile. As an industry leader, Werner is deeply committed to promoting sustainability and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion. Werner Enterprises common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "WERN." For further information about Werner, visit the company’s website at werner.com.
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 1,200 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.