2018 Outland Trophy Watch List

The 2018 Outland Trophy presented by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases will be one of college football’s most anticipated award races this season, as University of Houston junior defensive tackle Ed Oliver attempts to join former University of Nebraska center Dave Rimington (1981, 1982) as the only two-time winners of the award. Oliver is the only sophomore to have ever won the award.

The preseason 2018 Outland Trophy Watch List, featuring standout interior linemen on offense and defense from all 10 Division I Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and independents, will be announced tomorrow, July 24. The three finalists will be featured on ESPN’s The Home Depot College Football Awards and the winner will be announced in early December. The Outland Trophy Banquet follows in early January in Omaha, Nebraska.

“The FWAA is delighted to partner with NFID in this Outland Trophy sponsorship. NFID is an influential thought leader promoting important public health messages around disease prevention and treatment. Using one of college football’s oldest and most revered awards to help promote flu prevention is a winning play on any field as far as the FWAA is concerned,” said Richardson.

The Outland Trophy, now in its 73rd 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, Missouri. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Outland believed linemen did not get the credit they deserved and wanted an award to recognize them.

2017 Outland winner Ed Oliver of Houston returns in 2018 for his junior season

Frank Coyle is a voter in Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years.

2018 Outland Trophy Watch List

OL Paul Adams, Missouri
OL Trey Adams, Washington
OL Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas
C Ryan Anderson, Wake Forest
OL Alex Bars, Notre Dame
OL Ryan Bates, Penn State
DT Terry Beckner, Missouri
DT Ryan Bee, Marshall
G David Beedle, Michigan State
OL Beau Benzschawel, Wisconsin
C Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
OL Lanard Bonner, Arkansas State
G Tyler Bowling, Tulsa
C Garrett Bradbury, N.C. State
OL Parker Braun, Georgia Tech
OL Ben Bredeson, Michigan
DT Derrick Brown, Auburn
C Jesse Burkett, Stanford
OL Yodny Cajuste, West Virginia
DT Marquise Copeland, Cincinnati
C Deontae Crumitie, Troy
OL Michael Deiter, Wisconsin
OL Tommy Doles, Northwestern
OL O’Shea Dugas, Louisiana Tech
C Alec Eberle, Florida State
OL David Edwards, Wisconsin
OL Bobby Evans, Oklahoma
C Justin Falcinelli, Clemson
C Lo Falemaka, Utah
OL Hjalte Froholdt, Arkansas
C Lamont Gaillard, Georgia
DT Greg Gaines, Washington
C Tyler Gauthier, Miami
DT Youhanna Ghaifan, Wyoming
C Jake Hanson, Oregon
OL Phil Haynes, Wake Forest
G Nate Herbig, Stanford
DT Trysten Hill, UCF
OT Mitch Hyatt, Clemson
OL Martez Ivey, Florida
C Jordan Johnson, UCF
DT Dre’Mont Jones, Ohio State
OL Michael Jordan, Ohio State
OL Luke Juriga, Western Michigan
C John Keenoy, Western Michigan
OL Marcus Keyes, Oklahoma State
C Sean Krepsz, Nevada
DT Dexter Lawrence, Clemson
G Jimmy Leatiota, Eastern Michigan
DT Ira Lewis, Baylor
DT Ray Lima, Iowa State
OL Chris Lindstrom, Boston College
OL Greg Little, Ole Miss
C Toa Lobendahn, USC
OL Joe Lowery, Ohio
OL Kaleb McGary, Washington
C Connor McGovern, Penn State
OL Patrick Mekari, California
C Chandler Miller, Tulsa
DT David Moa, Boise State
C Sam Mustipher, Notre Dame
C Will Noble, Houston
OT Marcus Norman, USF
DT Ed Oliver, Houston
C Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama
OL Ben Powers, Oklahoma
OL Isaiah Prince, Ohio State
OL Dalton Risner, Kansas State
NT Olive Sagapolu, Wisconsin
OL Dru Samia, Oklahoma
OT Max Scharping, NIU
DT Jordon Scott, Oregon
DT Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State
OL Trey Smith, Tennessee
OL Trevon Tate, Memphis
OL Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon
DT Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame
OL Patrick Vahe, Texas
DT Ricky Walker, Virginia Tech
DT Christian Wilkins, Clemson
OL Jonah Williams, Alabama
DT Daniel Wise, Kansas