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DALLAS (FWAA) – The Football Writers Association of America has announced the preseason watch list for the 2025 Outland Trophy, recognizing 50 returning standout interior linemen representing nine of the FBS conferences and Independents. The 2025 season will close with the award's 80th winner selected from players spread among at least 35 different programs that includes one returning FWAA All-American.
CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is a FWAA nominating member for the Outland Trophy.
The recipient of the 2025 Outland Trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, live on ESPN on Friday, Dec. 12. The official trophy 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 on Jan. 21, 2026 in Omaha, Neb.
There are 16 guards and 15 offensive tackles on this year’s list to go with 10 defensive tackles and nine centers. This is the first time since 2012 for guards to lead the Outland Trophy Watch List player selection.
Two programs – Alabama and Oregon – have three members on the list spread across their offensive line. Each program has had an Outland Trophy winner within the last six seasons. Alabama, which has the lone returning FWAA All-American in center Parker Brailsford, also has guard Jaeden Roberts and offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor listed. Three of the last nine Outland Trophy winners have come from Alabama. Oregon’s trio begins with center Iapani Laloulu and extends with two top transfers in guard Emmanuel Pregnon (from USC) and offensive tackle Isaiah World (Nevada). Oregon’s lone Outland Trophy winner was offensive tackle Penei Sewell from the 2019 season.
Those two programs lead the two conferences leaders, as the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conferences each have 11 representatives. The Big 12 is just behind with 10. There are 13 programs with two or more players on the list. Texas, from which the last two Outland Trophy winners have come (defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat in 2023, offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. last season), is represented again by guard DJ Campbell.
Defending College Football Playoff national champion Ohio State has one member from each side of the ball in guard Tegra Tshabola and defensive tackle Eddrick Houston. Notre Dame, last year’s national runner-up, boasts guard Billy Schrauth and offensive tackle Aamil Wagner. Penn State, a national semifinalist a year ago, has defensive tackle Zane Durant and guard Olaivavega Ioane on opposite sides of the ball as well.
Army, which led the FBS in rushing last season at 300.5 yards per game, has two players on the list in guard Paolo Gennerelli and center Brady Small. Boise State offensive tackle Kage Casey makes the list as a returning starter who blocked for last year’s national rushing phenom, Ashton Jeanty. Liberty, which was fourth in team rushing at 250.7 ypg last season, has its super sophomore center Aaron Fenimore on the list as well.
Miami, last season’s total offense leader at 537.2 ypg, returns a pair up front who helped make it happen in offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa and guard Anez Cooper. Clemson’s pair includes one of the 10 defensive tackles on the list in Peter Woods to go with offensive tackle Blake Miller, as does James Madison, which has the Sun Belt Conference’s two representatives in offensive tackle Pat McMurtrie and defensive tackle Immanuel Bush. Florida, Iowa, Texas A&M and Utah each also have teammates of offensive linemen represented.
The conference breakdown – beyond the 32 players from the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 – continues with seven players from the ACC, four from the American, two each from the Mountain West, Sun Belt and Notre Dame and one selection from Conference USA.
The FWAA will announce six or seven Outland Trophy semifinalists on Nov. 19 at a reception in Omaha, and those players will then be pared down to three finalists announced on Nov. 25 on ESPN. 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.
Players may be added or removed from the watch list during the course of the season. For a third year now, the FWAA will announce an Outland Trophy National 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.
Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks, Jr. was voted as the 2024 Outland Trophy winner and was later selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 9th pick overall in the 2025 NFL draft in April.
2024 - Kelvin Banks, Jr., OT, Texas
2023 - T'Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas
2022 - Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan (Sr.)
2021 - Jordan Davis, Georgia
2020 - Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
2019 - Penei Sewell, Oregon
2018 - Quinnen Williams, Alabama
2017 - Ed Oliver, Houston
2016 - Cam Robinson, Alabama
2015 - Joshua Garnett, Stanford
2014 - Brandon Scherff, Iowa
2013 - Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
2012 - Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M
2011 - Barrett Jones, Alabama
2010 - Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
2009 - Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
2008 - Andre Smith, Alabama
2007 - Glenn Dorsey, LSU
2006 - Joe Thomas, Wiscosnin
2005 - Greg Eslinger, Minnesota
2004 - Jammal Brown, Oklahoma
2003 - Robert Gallery, Iowa
2002 - Rien Long, Washington State
2001 - Bryant McKinnie, Miami
2000 - John Henderson, Tennessee
1999 - Chris Samuels, Alabama
1998 - Kris Farris, UCLA
1997 - Aaron Taylor, Nebraska
1996 - Orlando Pace, Ohio State
1995 - Jonathan Ogden, UCLA
1994 - Zach Wiegert, Nebraska
1993 - Rob Waldrop, Arizona
1992 - Will Shields, Nebraska
1991 - Steve Emtman, Washington
1990 - Russell Maryland, Miami
1989 - Mohammed Elewonibi, BYU
1988 - Tracy Rocker, Auburn
1987 - Chad Hennings, Air Force
1986 - Jason Buck, BYU
1985 - Mike Ruth, Boston College
1984 - Bruce Smith, Virginia Tech
1983 - Dean Steinkuhler, Nebraska
1982 - Dave Rimington, Nebraska
1981 - Dave Rimington, Nebraska
1980 - Mark May, Pittsburgh
1979 - Jim Ritcher, N.C. State
1978 - Greg Roberts, Oklahoma
1977 - Brad Shearer, Texas
1976 - Ross Browner, Notre Dame
1975 - Lee Roy Selmon, Oklahoma
1974 - Randy White, Maryland
1973 - John Hicks, Ohio State
1972 - Rich Glover, Nebraska
1971 - Larry Jacobson, Nebraska
1970 - Jim Stillwagon, Ohio State
1969 - Mike Reid, Penn State
1968 - Bill Stanfill, Georgia
1967 - Ron Yary, USC
1966 - Loyd Phillips, Arkansas
1965 - Tommy Nobis, Texas
1964 - Steve DeLong, Tennessee
1963 - Scott Appleton, Texas
1962 - Bobby Bell, Minnesota
1961 - Merlin Olsen, Utah State
1960 - Tom Brown, Minnesota
1959 - Mike McGee, Duke
1958 - Zeke Smith, Auburn
1957 - Alex Karras, Iowa
1956 - Jim Parker, Ohio State
1955 - Calvin Jones, Iowa
1954 - Bill Brooks, Arkansas
1953 - J.D. Roberts, Oklahoma
1952 - Dick Modzelewski, Maryland
1951 - Jim Weatherall, Oklahoma
1950 - Bob Gain, Kentucky
1949 - Ed Bagdon, Michigan State
1948 - Bill Fischer, Notre Dame
1947 - Joe Steffy, Army
1946 - George Connor, Notre Dame
The Outland Trophy, celebrating its 80th year 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 and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.
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, go to Sportswriters.net.