Donaldson Selected to Outland Trophy Watch List
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Junior offensive lineman Navaughn Donaldson was among those players selected to the preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy presented by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, it was announced Tuesday.
Donaldson saw action in all 13 games and made 12 starts on the offensive line as a sophomore in 2018. The Miami native, who was a 2017 Freshman All-America and All-ACC honoree in a standout debut 2017 campaign, has compiled 22 starts in his two seasons at The U. Donaldson helped pave the way for a rushing attack that averaged 5.2 yards per carry and 2,489 yards on the ground a season ago.
The recipient of the 74th Outland Trophy will be announced during ESPN’s The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12, live from the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. This season’s list presents a rare wide-open field following the departure of all eight Outland Trophy semifinalists from a year ago.
Donaldson is the seventh Hurricane to garner preseason plaudits; junior defensive lineman Jonathan Garvin and senior linebacker Shaq Quarterman were tabbed to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, redshirt senior wide receiver K.J. Osborn was named to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, sophomore tight end Brevin Jordan was named a preseason Mackey Award candidate, junior defensive back Trajan Bandy was selected to the watch list for the Thorpe Award and both Quarterman and Michael Pinckney were tabbed as Butkus Award candidates.
The official presentation to the winner will be made at the NFID Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee on Jan. 15, 2020. Up to eight semifinalists will be named on Nov. 20 in Omaha and three finalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 25.
The Outland Trophy, now in its 74th year, is the third-oldest major college football award. Created in 1946 when Dr. John Outland presented the FWAA with a financial contribution to initiate the award, the Outland Trophy has been given to the best interior lineman in college football ever since. Dr. Outland, an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1890s, eventually took up practice in Kansas City, Mo. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Outland believed linemen did not get the credit they deserved and wanted an award to recognize them.
