Outland Trophy Candidates at UO, July 24

DALLAS – Oregon senior offensive linemen Jake Hanson, Shane Lemieux and Calvin Throckmorton along with junior defensive tackle Jordon Scott all landed on the Outland Trophy Watch List announced by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) on Tuesday. The Outland Trophy, now in its 74th year, is presented to the best interior lineman in college football. Oregon’s four selections to the Outland Trophy Watch List equaled Michigan for the most, while the three offensive linemen are the second-most behind Michigan and tied with Georgia. Hanson has now been named to the Outland Trophy Watch List each of the last two years and is just a handful of days removed from being named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List for a third time. The three-year starter has not allowed a sack in 2,739 career snaps while starting 37 of 38 games at center since 2016. Hanson finished 2018 as the second-highest graded center in the Pac-12 by Pro Football Focus (PFF) and the top-graded pass-blocking interior lineman in the conference. A preseason All-American by three different outlets, including a first team choice by Sporting News, Lemieux is coming off a breakout junior campaign in which he finished as PFF’s No. 3 guard in the nation. Lemieux’s overall grade from PFF was bolstered by the third-best run-blocking grade in the country amongst guards, while he extended his streak of consecutive starts at left guard to 38. The only returning FWAA All-American on the list, Throckmorton has also made 38 consecutive starts, but unlike Lemieux has done so at four different positons. In 2018, Throckmorton was the only FBS offensive lineman to start at four different positons and went on to be the top graded offensive lineman in the Pac-12, according to Pro Football Focus. Spending a majority of his time at right and left tackle, he has played 1,133 snaps without committing a penalty and has allowed just one sack over his last 31 games (2,289 snaps). Scott joins Hanson on the Outland Trophy Watch List for a second straight year and will be one of the key pieces in Oregon’s new 3-4 defense under first-year defensive coordinator Andy Avalos. Scott is coming off a Pac-12 All-Conference second team season in which he finished as a top 10 defensive lineman in the conference against the run, according to PFF. He has made 24 consecutive starts in the middle of the Oregon defensive line.