DALLAS (FWAA) - Florida State, USC, Stanford and Tennessee combined to put 13 players on the 2013 Outland Trophy Watch List, announced today by the Football Writers Association of America.
One lone, but important member of the FWAA's 2012 All-America Team - Texas A&M senior offensive tackle Jake Matthews - also appears among 75 players on the watch list for the Outland Trophy, which is awarded to the best interior lineman in college football.
A year ago, Matthews was on the same Aggie offensive line that included 2012 Outland Trophy winner Luke Joeckel, the No. 2 pick overall in the 2013 NFL Draft, now prepping to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Joeckel, also an offensive tackle, was Texas A&M's first Outland Trophy finalist.
Florida State and Stanford have never had an Outland winner in the 67-year history of the award. USC has had one winner (Ron Yary, 1967), and Tennessee has had two interior linemen claim the prestigious bronzed trophy (Steve DeLong, 1964 and John Henderson, 2000). The Aggies could have two straight winners after being shut out in the first 66 years of the award, which is the third oldest in major-college football.
The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from three finalists who are part of the FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects the 25-man 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.
2013 OUTLAND TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST (75)
Calvin Barnett, Oklahoma State, DT
Austen Bujnoch, Cincinnati, G
Chris Burnette, Georgia, G
A.J. Cann, South Carolina, G
Ryan Carrethers, Arkansas State, DT
Le'Raven Clark, Texas Tech, OT
Deandre Coleman, California, DT
La'el Collins, LSU, OT
Kevin Danser, Stanford, G
Anthony Dima, Massachusetts, OT
Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh, DT
Dominique Easley, Florida, DT
Cameron Erving, Florida State, OT
BJ Finney, Kansas State, C
Cameron Fleming, Stanford, OT
Kevin Graf, USC, OT
Hroniss Grasu, Oregon, C
Ryan Groy, Wisconsin, OT
Ra'Shede Hageman, Minnesota, DT
Trey Hopkins, Texas, G
Chucky Hunter, TCU, DT
James Hurst, North Carolina, OT
Kerry Hyder, Texas Tech, DT
Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma, C
Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State, G
Tré Jackson, Florida State, G
Ja'Wuan James, Tennessee, OT
Timmy Jernigan, Florida State, DT
Anthony Johnson, LSU, DT
Kaleb Johnson, Rutgers, OT
Wesley Johnson, Vanderbilt, OT
Tyler Johnstone, Oregon, OT
DaQuan Jones, Penn State, DT
Zac Kerin, Toledo, C
Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama, OT
Tyler Larsen, Utah State, C
Eric Lefeld, Cincinnati, OT
Charles Leno, Boise State, OT
Taylor Lewan, Michigan, OT
Brandon Linder, Miami, G
Spencer Long, Nebraska, G
Antwan Lowery, Rutgers, G
Cornelius Lucas, Kansas State, OT
Eathyn Manumaleuna, BYU, DT
Zack Martin, Notre Dame, OT
John Martinez, USC, G
Jake Matthews, Texas A&M, OT
Daniel McCullers, Tennessee, DT
Jack Mewhort, Ohio State, OT
Andrew Miller, Virginia Tech, C
Morgan Moses, Virginia, OT
Louis Nix III, Notre Dame, DT
Roosevelt Nix, Kent State, DT
Andrew Norwell, Ohio State, G
Kelcy Quarles, South Carolina, DT
Antonio Richardson, Tennessee, OT
Cyril Richardson, Baylor, G
Weston Richburg, Colorado State, C
Isaac Seumalo, Oregon State, C
Will Simmons, East Carolina, G
Jeremiah Sirles, Nebraska, OT
Anthony Steen, Alabama, G
Bryan Stork, Florida State, C
Xavier Su'a-Filo, UCLA, G
Will Sutton, Arizona State, DT
Travis Swanson, Arkansas, C
Brandon Thomas, Clemson, OT
Laken Tomlinson, Duke, G
John Urschel, Penn State, G
Brandon Vitabile, Northwestern, C
Mason Walters, Texas, G
Austin Wentworth, Fresno State, OT
Nikita Whitlock, Wake Forest, DT
Leonard Williams, USC, DT
David Yankey, Stanford, G
By conference: SEC (16), Pac-12 (12), ACC (11), Big Ten (10), Big 12 (10), American Athletic (4), Mountain West (4), Independents (3), Mid-American (3), Conference USA (1), Sun Belt (1).
The list will be trimmed to six or seven semifinalists on Nov. 20. Five days later three Outland Trophy finalists will be named by the FWAA. The winner of the 68th Outland Trophy, named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn at the turn of the 20th century, will be announced on ESPN on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12 from Disney's Boardwalk in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be held on Jan. 9, 2014 in Omaha, Neb. This year, North Carolina State center Jim Ritcher, the 1979 Outland Trophy winner, will be honored and presented an Outland Trophy, which was not given in the era in which he won the award.
