Four Tigers Named To Outland, Nagurski Watch Lists

The FWAA announced today that Clemson tackle Tremayne Anchrum and guard John Simpson have been named to the Outland Trophy watch list, while linebacker Isaiah Simmons and defensive end Xavier Thomas have been named to the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Full watch lists and additional information from the FWAA are included below.

2019 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED

DALLAS (FWAA) — The Football Writers Association of America has announced the preseason watch list for the 2019 Outland Trophy presented by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. This season’s list presents a rare wide-open field following the departure of all eight Outland Trophy semifinalists from a year ago and the return of only one FWAA All-American, offensive tackle Calvin Throckmorton of Oregon. The Ducks, along with Michigan, top the list with four selections among the 83 standout interior linemen representing all 10 Division I FBS conferences and independents.

This is the second year of a partnership with the NFID to present the Outland Trophy as part of a public awareness campaign focused on the importance of influenza (flu) prevention during the 2019-20 flu season. The award honoring the top interior lineman in college football will continue to be selected by the FWAA membership and has been rebranded as the Outland Trophy presented by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases with a social media hashtag of #FightFlu.

Throckmorton, a senior from Bellevue, Wash., was a second-team FWAA All-American and is the lone member of the 2018 FWAA All-America Team on either interior line to return this season. He is joined by three teammates, center Jake Hanson, guard Shane Lemieux and defensive tackle Jordon Scott. Michigan has four members of its offensive front on the list – center Cesar Ruiz, guards Michael Onwenu and Ben Bredeson, and tackle Jon Runyan. Georgia has three players and 15 other schools have two representatives on the list of standouts.

University of Pittsburgh All-American Mark May, the 1980 Outland Trophy winner, will serve as the Outland Trophy #FightFlu ambassador for the upcoming season. May will make media appearances on behalf of the #FightFlu public awareness campaign to remind people to get their annual flu shots.

The recipient of the 74th Outland Trophy will be announced during ESPN’s The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12, live from the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. The official presentation to the winner will be made at the NFID Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee on Jan. 15, 2020. Up to eight semifinalists will be named on Nov. 20 in Omaha and three finalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 25.

Candidates may be added or removed during the season. The distribution of watch list candidates is spread well among the conferences, with the Big Ten and SEC leading the way with 13 each. The Big 12 and Pac-12 are just behind with 12 apiece, followed by the ACC with 10 as well as the American Athletic (6), Independents and Mountain West (4 each), and Conference USA, Mid-American and Sun Belt (3 each). The list includes 32 offensive tackles, 19 defensive tackles, 18 guards and 14 centers.

T Trey Adams, Washington
T Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas
T Tremayne Anchrum, Clemson
G Jack Anderson, Texas Tech
T Mekhi Becton, Louisville
C Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
DT Ross Blacklock, TCU
DT Quinton Bohanna, Kentucky
G Parker Braun, Texas
G Ben Bredeson, Michigan
DT Derrick Brown, Auburn
T Jake Brown, UCF
C Levi Brown, Marshall
C Cohl Cabral, Arizona State
T Brady Christensen, BYU
T Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
DT Doug Costin, Miami
T Coy Cronk, Indiana
G Navaughn Donaldson, Miami
T Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame
G Jovahn Fair, Temple
DT Leki Fotu, Utah
DT Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma
C Jake Hanson, Oregon
C Bryce Harris, Toledo
C Nick Harris, Washington
T Charlie Heck, North Carolina
T Justin Herron, Wake Forest
C Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
T Robert Hunt, Louisiana
C Keith Ismael, San Diego State
T Alaric Jackson, Iowa
C Jordan Johnson, UCF
T Victor Johnson, Appalachian State
T Josh Jones, Houston
G Luke Juriga, Western Michigan
G Kirk Kelley, Troy
G Solomon Kindley, Georgia
DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
G Tommy Kraemer, Notre Dame
G Gus Lavaka, Oregon State
G Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
G Shane Lemieux, Oregon
DT Ray Lima, Iowa State
T Walker Little, Stanford
T Abraham Lucas, Washington State
DT James Lynch, Baylor
DT Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
DT Garrett Marino, UAB
T Colton McKivitz, West Virginia
G John Molchon, Boise State
C Jimmy Morrissey, Pitt
T Thayer Munford, Ohio State
DT Larrell Murchison, N.C. State
DT Lorenzo Neal, Purdue
T Jake Nelson, Nevada
T Lucas Niang, TCU
T Marcus Norman, USF
G Michael Onwenu, Michigan
T Miles Pate, WKU
DT John Penisini, Utah
T Benjamin Petrula, Boston College
C Cesar Ruiz, Michigan
T Jon Runyan, Michigan
DT Jordon Scott, Oregon
C Zach Shackelford, Texas
G Josh Sills, West Virginia
G John Simpson, Clemson
T Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
G Logan Stenberg, Kentucky
T Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn
T Andrew Thomas, Georgia
T Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon
DT Khyiris Tonga, BYU
G Tre’Vour Wallace-Sims, Missouri
C Darryl Williams, Mississippi State
DT Raequan Williams, Michigan State
T Jedrick Wills Jr., Alabama
T Isaiah Wilson, Georgia
DT Marvin Wilson, Florida State
DT Robert Windsor, Penn State
T Tristan Wirfs, Iowa
C Dustin Woodard, Memphis

The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from three 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 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.

The Outland Trophy, now in its 74th 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, Mo. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Outland believed linemen did not get the credit they deserved and wanted an award to recognize them.

2019 BRONKO NAGURSKI TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED

DALLAS (FWAA) – The Football Writers Association of America released its 2019 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List today, selecting 92 defensive standouts from 65 schools in all 10 Division I FBS conferences plus independents on a roster that includes four returning players from last season’s FWAA All-America team.

Grant Delpit, a junior safety from LSU, tops the list as the lone returning Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalist and FWAA first-team All-American from last season. Joining him on the list are three other returning 2018 FWAA second-team All-Americans in Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall, Michigan State defensive end Kenny Willekes, and Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo.

Alabama leads the team count with four representatives – linebackers Anfernee Jennings and Dylan Moses, end Raekwon Davis and cornerback Trevon Diggs. In addition to Delpit, LSU boasts linebacker Jacob Phillips and cornerback Kristian Fulton on the list to tie Iowa State, Notre Dame and Penn State with three members each. There are 16 schools with two members on the list.

Players may be added or removed from the watch list during the course of the season. As in previous years, the FWAA will announce a National Defensive Player of the Week each Tuesday this season. If not already on the watch list, each week’s honored player will be added at that time. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2019 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Nov. 20.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from those five finalists. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association’s full membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Nagurski Trophy finalists. Committee members, by individual ballot, select the winner they regard as the best defensive player in college football.

This year’s watch list includes at least four players from eight of the 10 FBS conferences. The SEC (18) and Big Ten (15) have the most members and combine to make up more than one-third of the 92-man list. The ACC and Pac-12 (12 each) and Big 12 (11) also have double-digit representation, followed by the American Athletic (6), Independents (5), Conference USA (4), Mountain West (4), Mid-American (3) and Sun Belt (2). The list includes 36 linebackers, 28 backs, 21 ends and seven tackles.

DB DeMarkus Acy, Missouri
DB Paulson Adebo, Stanford
DE Bradlee Anae, Utah
LB Rayshard Ashby, Virginia Tech
LB Joe Bachie, Michigan State
DE JaQuan Bailey, Iowa State
LB Markus Bailey, Purdue
DB Essang Bassey, Wake Forest
LB Shaun Bradley, Temple
DB Antoine Brooks Jr., Maryland
LB Jordyn Brooks, Texas Tech
DT Derrick Brown, Auburn
DB Myles Bryant, Washington
DB Andre Cisco, Syracuse
DE Nick Coe, Auburn
LB Carter Coughlin, Minnesota
DB Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State
DE Raekwon Davis, Alabama
DB Grant Delpit, LSU
DB Trevon Diggs, Alabama
DE Victor Dimukeje, Duke
LB Troy Dye, Oregon
LB Cooper Edmiston, Tulsa
DE A.J. Epenesa, Iowa
LB Jordan Fehr, Appalachian State
LB Paddy Fisher, Northwestern
DB Jordan Fuller, Ohio State
DB Kristian Fulton, LSU
LB Lawrence Garner, Old Dominion
LB Cale Garrett, Missouri
DE Jonathan Garvin, Miami
DE Joe Gaziano, Northwestern
DB Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame
DB Jeff Gladney, TCU
DB Richie Grant, UCF
DB A.J. Green, Oklahoma State
DE Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
DB Javon Hagan, Ohio
DB Bryce Hall, Virginia
LB Ky’el Hemby, Southern Miss
DB CJ Henderson, Florida
DB Lavert Hill, Michigan
DE Wyatt Hubert, Kansas State
LB Bryce Huff, Memphis
LB Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
DB Jaylon Johnson, Utah
DE Mustafa Johnson, Colorado
DE Patrick Johnson, Tulane
LB Clay Johnston, Baylor
DB Brandon Jones, Texas
LB Antonio Jones-Davis, NIU
DE Khalid Kareem, Notre Dame
LB Nate Landman, Colorado
LB Sage Lewis, FIU
DT Ray Lima, Iowa State
LB Bryan London II, Texas State
LB Jordan Mack, Virginia
DT Justin Madubuke, Texas A&M
DB Kevin McGill, Eastern Michigan
DB Josh Metellus, Michigan
LB Dylan Moses, Alabama
LB Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma
DE Julian Okwara, Notre Dame
LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
LB Jacob Phillips, LSU
LB Shaquille Quarterman, Miami
DB J.R. Reed, Georgia
DB Elijah Riley, Army
DB Amik Robertson, Louisiana Tech
LB Merlin Robertson, Arizona State
DE Alton Robinson, Syracuse
LB Colin Schooler, Arizona
DT Jordon Scott, Oregon
LB Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
LB Marcel Spears, Iowa State
DB Caden Sterns, Texas
LB Darrell Taylor, Tennessee
LB Kyahva Tezino, San Diego State
DE Xavier Thomas, Clemson
LB Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State
DT Khyiris Tonga, BYU
DE Jay Tufele, USC
LB Mykal Walker, Fresno State
DE Curtis Weaver, Boise State
LB Evan Weaver, California
DB James Wiggins, Cincinnati
DE Kenny Willekes, Michigan State
DT Marvin Wilson, Florida State
DT Robert Windsor, Penn State
LB David Woodward, Utah State
DE Chase Young, Ohio State
DE Jabari Zuniga, Florida

The 25th Annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet, will be held on Dec. 9 at the Charlotte Convention Center. In addition to the 2019 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner’s announcement, the banquet will also celebrate former UCLA All-American Jerry Robinson, the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is the keynote speaker.

The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football, then became a star for professional football’s Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw “Bronko” Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.