Franklin, Forston Named to Outland Trophy Watch List
June 21, 2010
Coral Gables, Fla. – Senior offensive tackle Orlando Franklin and sophomore defensive tackle Marcus Forston have been named to the 2010 Outland Trophy Watch List, awarded to annually to the nation’s top lineman on either the defensive or offensive side of the ball by the Football Writers Association of America.
Franklin was an All-ACC honorable mention selection as an offensive guard in 2009. He was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week after his performance in the regular season finale at USF when he started at left tackle. Franklin graded out at 95 percent with 51 pancake blocks and 13 lumberjacks in helping anchor the left side of the offensive line while starting 11 games at left guard and two games at left tackle. He picked up a career-high 10 pancake blocks and graded out at 96 percent in the win over Duke. He also performed well against Georgia Tech (97 percent grade, eight pancake blocks, five lumberjacks); Wake Forest (97 percent grade, four pancake blocks); North Carolina (94 percent grade); Florida State (95 percent grade) and Oklahoma (93 percent grade, limited All-American DT Gerald McCoy to a half-tackle). Franklin helped a Miami offense rack up 5,199 yards (3,405 passing, 1,794 rushing), which was the most since the 2004 season (4,593 yards) as the Miami became just the eighth team in school history to gain 5,000 yards in a season.
Forston played in three of the first four games in 2009 before sitting out the remainder of the season with an injury. He earned a medical hardship for the 2009 season. As a freshman in 2008, he played in 12 games and was named first team freshman All-America by CollegeFootballNews.com, the Football Writers Association and Rivals.com. He recorded 18 tackles (13 solo, five assisted), 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, which tied for fourth on the team.
The FWAA will consider other players for the 2010 Outland Trophy Watch List and will also delete players as the season progresses. The FWAA All-America Committee will select three finalists in late November and eventually the overall winner.
The Outland Trophy, presented annually since 1946, is the third oldest award in major college football. The Outland Trophy is named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn and Kansas at the turn of the century. The 2010 winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 9.
The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be on Jan. 13 in Omaha, Neb.
