Staff Report

 

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall offensive tackle Clint Van Horn has been named to the Outland Trophy Watch List, an award given to the nation’s outstanding interior offensive or defensive lineman, the Football Writers Association of America announced Friday morning.

This is Van Horn’s second time on the award’s preseason list, also earning the distinction last season before missing most of the year due to injury.

A two-time All-Conference USA honoree, the Beckley native has started 25 games for the program and was named to the league’s 2015-16 Commissioner’s Honor Roll a year ago.

Friday’s announcement is the program’s third watch list accommodation of the week.

Tight end Ryan Yurachek was selected to the John Mackey Award list Wednesday and kicker Nick Smith followed on the Lou Groza Award list Thursday.

The Outland 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 list will be trimmed to six or seven semifinalists on Thurs., Nov. 17. Five days later, three Outland Trophy finalists will be named by the FWAA. The winner of the 71st 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 live on ESPN on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thurs., Dec. 8.

For the second straight year, the show will air from the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

The Outland Trophy presentation banquet will be held on Jan. 11, 2017, in Omaha, Neb.

This year, Oklahoma’s Greg Roberts — the 1978 Outland Trophy winner — will be honored and presented an Outland Trophy, which was not given in the era in which he won the award.

In addition, former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer will receive the Tom Osborne Legacy Award at the same banquet.

The Outland Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football.

The 22 awards boast over 722 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.ncfaa.org to learn more about the awards.