The Outland Trophy has been around since 1946 and has been awarded to the top interior linemen in college football. Dr. John Outland, the man who gave the Football Writers Association of America the initial funding for the award, believed that “linemen did not get the credit they deserved and wanted an award to recognize them.” The Outland Trophy is the second-oldest trophy in college football and this year, Michigan’s Mason Graham was named a finalist. He is up against Kelvin Banks, Jr. of Texas and Walter Nolen from Ole Miss.
If Graham ends up winning, he will be the second Michigan lineman in three years to win the award. Olusegun Oluwatimi is the only Wolverine to win the award to this point. He is looking to become the 31st Big Ten player to win (based on current alignment).
Michigan Stud Defensive Tackle Named Outland Trophy Finalist
Mason Graham is a finalist for the Outland Trophy, given to college football's best interior lineman!#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/pPR3rGNk0L
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) November 26, 2024
A year ago, Graham broke out during the Michigan College Football Playoff run. On the year, the then-sophomore amassed 36 tackles, seven-and-a-half tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass deflection, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He earned second-team All-American honors as well.
This year, he’s been just as good. Through 11 games, Graham has 38 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three-and-a-half sacks, a pass breakup, and a blocked field goal. According to Pro Football Focus, Graham has been credited with the second-most pressures (ie, sacks, hits, and hurries) with 32 among all interior defensive linemen at the FBS level. Additionally, he is rated the second-highest run defender among all interior defensive linemen by PFF (91.9).
Graham has been among the elites in college football over the last two seasons. In addition to the Outland Trophy, he was named as a Nagusrki Award finalist. He will also likely end up as a First-Team All-American and first-round NFL Draft pick in the spring.
