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.

2019 OUTLAND TROPHY PRESENTED BY NFID PRESEASON WATCH LIST (83)

OT Trey Adams, Washington  

OT Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas

OL Tremayne Anchrum, Clemson

OG Jack Anderson, Texas Tech

OT Mekhi Becton, Louisville

C Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin

DT Ross Blacklock, TCU

DT Quinton Bohanna, Kentucky

OG Parker Braun, Texas

OG Ben Bredeson, Michigan

DT Derrick Brown, Auburn

OL Jake Brown, UCF

C Levi Brown, Marshall

C Cohl Cabral, Arizona State

OT Brady Christensen, BYU

OT Ezra Cleveland, Boise State

DT Doug Costin, Miami

OT Coy Cronk, Indiana

OG Navaughn Donaldson, Miami

OT Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame

OG Jovahn Fair, Temple

DT Leki Fotu, Utah

DT Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma

C Jake Hanson, Oregon

C Bryce Harris, Toledo

C Nick Harris, Washington

OT Charlie Heck, North Carolina

OT Justin Herron, Wake Forest

C Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma

OT Robert Hunt, Louisiana

OL Keith Ismael, San Diego State

OT Alaric Jackson, Iowa

C Jordan Johnson, UCF

OT Victor Johnson, Appalachian State

OT Josh Jones, Houston

OG Luke Juriga, Western Michigan

OG Kirk  Kelley, Troy

OL Solomon Kindley, Georgia

DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina

OG Tommy Kraemer, Notre Dame

OG Gus Lavaka, Oregon State

OG Alex Leatherwood, Alabama

OG Shane Lemieux, Oregon

DT Ray Lima, Iowa State

OT Walker Little, Stanford

OT Abraham Lucas, Washington State

DL James Lynch, Baylor

DT Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M

DT Garrett Marino, UAB

OT Colton McKivitz, West Virginia

OG John Molchon, Boise State

C Jimmy Morrissey, Pitt

OT Thayer Munford, Ohio State

DT Larrell Murchison, N.C. State

DT Lorenzo Neal, Purdue

OT Jake Nelson, Nevada

OT Lucas Niang, TCU

OT Marcus Norman, USF

OG Michael Onwenu, Michigan

OT Miles Pate, WKU

DT John Penisini, Utah

OT Benjamin Petrula, Boston College

C Cesar Ruiz, Michigan

OT Jon Runyan, Michigan

DT Jordon Scott, Oregon

C Zach Shackelford, Texas

OL Josh Sills, West Virginia

OG John Simpson, Clemson

OT Rashawn Slater, Northwestern

OG Logan Stenberg, Kentucky

OT Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn

OT Andrew Thomas, Georgia

OT Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon

DT Khyiris Tonga, BYU

OG Tre’Vour Wallace-Sims, Missouri

C Darryl Williams, Mississippi State

DT Raequan  Williams, Michigan State

OT Jedrick Wills Jr., Alabama

OL Isaiah Wilson, Georgia

DT Marvin Wilson, Florida State

DT Robert Windsor, Penn State

OT Tristan Wirfs, Iowa

C Dustin Woodard, Memphis

By conference: Big Ten 13, SEC 13, Big 12 12, Pac-12 12, ACC 10, American Athletic 6, Independents 4, Mountain West 4, Conference USA 3, Mid-American 3, Sun Belt 3.

By position: Offensive Tackles 32, Defensive Tackles 19, Offensive Guards 18, Centers 14.

Tackles, guards and centers are eligible for consideration Candidates may be added or removed during the season

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 is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the NCFAA.

The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a 10-day period this month. Sixteen of the association's 25 awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates. Following is the remainder of the 2019 preseason watch list calendar:

Tues., July 23: Outland Trophy presented by NFID/Bronko Nagurski Trophy

Wed., July 24: Lou Groza Award/Ray Guy Award

Thurs., July 25: Paul Hornung Award/Wuerffel Trophy

Fri., July 26: Walter Camp Award

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.