July 12, 2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two more major national award watch lists associated with the National College Football Awards Association were revealed today, including the Outland Trophy which is presented to the outstanding interior lineman in college football. This third-oldest major national award includes Ohio State junior defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins on its watch list.

Also released today was the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list. This award is awarded annually to the nation’s best defensive player by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. Hankins is among the Nagurski watch list candidates along with Ohio State senior defensive lineman John Simon.

Ohio State’s two standout defensive linemen are each on multiple major national award watch lists so far. Both were named to the Bednarik Award preseason list, an award that also honors the top defensive player in America. In addition, Simon is on the watch list for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.

The winner of the Outland Trophy will be announced Dec. 6 as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show. The winner is chosen from among three finalists who are part of the FWAA All-America team. The finalists will be named Nov. 19.

Five finalists for the Nagurski Trophy will be announced Nov. 15. All five will be members of the FWAA All-America team. The award will be presented Dec. 3 at a banquet in Charlotte, N.C.

Buckeyes on 2012 Preseason Watch Lists:
Lott IMPACT Award – Senior DL John Simon
Bednarik Award – John Simon and Junior DL Johnathan Hankins
Maxwell Trophy – Sophomore QB Braxton Miller
Mackey Award – Senior TE Jake Stoneburner
Lou Groza Award – Junior K Drew Basil
Outland Trophy – Johnathan Hankins
Nagurski Award – John Simon and Johnathan Hankins