Norton Named To Outland Trophy Watch List
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Junior Kendrick Norton picked up his second honor of the preseason Thursday, earning a spot on the watch list for the 2017 Outland Trophy, honoring the nation’s best interior lineman.
Norton and sophomore linebacker Shaquille Quarterman were both named to the Bednark Award Watch List earlier this week, while senior kicker Michael Badgley (Lou Groza Award), senior tight end Christopher Herndon IV (Mackey Award) and running back Mark Walton (Maxwell Award) have also been recognized with preseason accolades.
As a sophomore in 2016, Norton received All-ACC third-team honors after starting every game on the defensive line. Norton posted 39 total tackles, tied for third on the team with 10.0 tackles for loss and registered a pair of sacks. A Jacksonville, Fla., native, Norton added one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
The ACC (17) led all conferences with members on the Watch List, followed by the Big Ten and SEC (11 each), Pac-12 (10), American Athletic (9), Big 12 and Mid-American (6 each), Independents and Mountain West (4 each), Conference USA (2) and Sun Belt (1).
The list includes 24 offensive tackles, 21 defensive tackles, 19 centers and 17 offensive guards.
The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from three finalists who are a part of the annual Football Writers Association of America (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 Wed, Nov. 15. Six days later, three Outland Trophy finalists will be named by the FWAA. The winner of the 72nd Outland Trophy – named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn at the turn of the 20th century, will be announced live on ESPN at The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thurs., Dec. 7. For the third straight year, the show will air from the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be held on Jan. 10, 2018 in Omaha, Neb. Former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden will receive the Tom Osborne Legacy Award at the same banquet.
The Football Writers Association of America, founded in 1941, consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.
