Outland Trophy reveals six semifinalists

With two games left to play, the Greater Omaha Sports Committee released the semifinalists for the Outland Trophy.

Awarded yearly, the Outland Trophy is the highest honored bestowed to players in the trenches.

This year, of the six semifinalists, only one is a defensive player. Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis has that honor alongside offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu of NC State, offensive tackle Darian Kinnard of Kentucky, center Tyler Linderbaum of Iowa, offensive tackle Evan Neal of Alabama and offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere of Ohio State.

The University of Alabama has taken home the Outland Trophy in three of the last five years. Offensive tackle Cam Robinson won in 2016, defensive lineman Quinnen Williams won in 2018 and offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood won in 2020.

The six programs represented on this year’s semifinalists list have won 17 Outland awards.

The Outland Trophy is the third-oldest major college football award behind the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award. Created in 1946 when Dr. John Outland presented the FWAA with a financial contribution to initiate the award. Outland was an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1890s.

2021 Outland Trophy Semifinalists

Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia: Davis is the most dominant defensive tackle in college football for top-ranked Georgia (10-0). The Bulldogs own the nation’s second-best total defense giving up 247 yards per game. Davis anchors the interior line for the nation’s second-best rushing defense (78.1 ypg). Georgia is the national scoring defense leader. They lead by more than a touchdown and have not given up more than 17 points in any game.

Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State: Ekwonu has more than 56 pancake blocks and 18 knockdowns for the Wolfpack (7-3). He has earned the ACC Offensive Line Player of the Week twice this season.

Darian Kinnard, OT, Kentucky: Kinnard has started at right tackle in the past 36 games for Kentucky (7-3) since the end of the 2018 season. The Wildcats’ resurgence this season is built around its run game. They boast the program’s 10th all-time 1,000-yard rusher in a season in Christopher Rodriguez Jr.

Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa: Linderbaum has started all 31 career games after playing on the defensive line as a true freshman. This season, he has a 94.8 offensive grade on PFF, the best for a center since 2014.

Evan Neal, OT, Alabama: Slimmed-down to 350 pounds to increase mobility, Neal has explosive speed and great reach. He leads an OL for 9-1 Alabama squad, which is in the top 10 in offense in scoring offense (third, 44.6 ppg), total offense (10th, 484.7 ypg) and passing offense (11th, 322.6 ypg).

Nicholas Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State: Petit-Frere started 18 of his 31 career games for the Buckeyes, who this season are tops in the nation in scoring offense (46.3 ppg), total offense (550.4 ) and sixth in passing offense (353.6 ypg).