CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Seven standout linemen from the Atlantic Coast Conference have earned a spot on the preseason watch list for the 2025 Outland Trophy, it was announced by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) on Tuesday. The award honors the nation’s top interior lineman.
The watch list, which recognizes 50 returning standout interior linemen representing FBS conferences and independent schools, consists of 16 offensive tackles and 15 guards on this year’s list to go along with 10 defensive tackles and nine centers.
Miami, last season’s total offense leader at 537.2 total offensive yards per game, returns a pair up front who helped make it happen in offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa and guard Anez Cooper. Clemson’s pair includes one of the 10 defensive tackles on the list in Peter Woods to go with offensive tackle Blake Miller, while Duke, Georgia Tech and SMU each had one offensive lineman on the watch list.
The FWAA will narrow the list to six or seven semifinalists on November 19, announce three finalists on November 25 (ESPN), and crown the 80th Outland Trophy winner on December 12 during The Home Depot College Football Awards. The official presentation will take place on January 21, 2026, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Players can be added or removed from the list throughout the season. Weekly national honorees will also be added to the watch list as the season progresses.
ACC Players Named to the 2025 Outland Trophy Preseason Watch List
Name, School, Position
Blake Miller, Clemson, OT
Peter Woods, Clemson, DT
Brian Parker II, Duke, OT
Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech, G
Anez Cooper, Miami, G
Francis Mauigoa, Miami, OT
PJ Williams, SMU, OT
The Outland Trophy, celebrating its 80th year since its founding, 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, Missouri. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Outland believed linemen did not get the credit they deserved and wanted an award to recognize them.
The Outland Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients since 1935.