Tartt on Preseason Watch List for Outland Trophy
Friday, April 18, 2008 | Football
University of Florida offensive lineman Jim Tartt was among those listed by The Football Writers Association of America on its 2008 Outland Trophy Watch List, which was announced Friday. Seventy standout linemen from around the country have been nominated for consideration in the preseason.
Tartt, a rising senior from Sopchoppy, Fla., has played in 30 games with 29 starts at left guard. His career start total is the highest among any active member of the team. In 2007, he was named to the All-SEC second team by the league coaches. He started all 13 games for the Gators a year ago and graded out a champion more than any other player on the line.
The Outland Trophy has been awarded to the best interior lineman in college football since 1946. With input from the entire FWAA membership, the winner is selected by the FWAA's All-America Committee, which selects the association's 25-man All-America team and picks the three Outland Trophy finalists and the winner.
The 2008 Outland Trophy announcement will be on Dec. 11 in Orlando, Fla., on the ESPNU Home Depot College Football Awards Show. Three finalists will appear on the show. The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be on Jan. 15, 2008 in Omaha, Neb.
The Outland Trophy is named after the late John Outland, a lineman at Pennsylvania at the turn of the century.
Additional Outland Trophy candidates may be added during the course of the season. Tackles, guards and centers are eligible for consideration.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 900 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. 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 gameday operations, major awards, a national poll and its annual All-America team.
| 2008 OUTLAND TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST | |||
| Player, School | Pos. | Cl. | Hometown |
| Geno Atkins, Georgia | DT | Jr. | Pembroke Pines, Fla. |
| Ted Bentler, Army | DT | Jr. | Davenport, Iowa |
| Ciron Black, LSU | OT | Jr. | Tyler, Texas |
| Alex Boone, Ohio State | OT | Sr. | Lakewood, Ohio |
| Ron Brace, Boston College | DT | Sr. | Springfield, Mass. |
| Robert Brewster, Ball State | OT | Sr. | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Eben Britton, Arizona | OT | Jr. | Burbank, Calif. |
| George Bussey, Louisville | OT | Sr. | Louisville, Ky. |
| Jeff Byers, USC | G | Sr. | Fort Collins, Colo. |
| Terrill Byrd, Cincinnati | DT | Sr. | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Gerald Cadogan, Penn State | OT | Sr. | Portsmouth, Ohio |
| Antoine Caldwell, Alabama | C | Sr. | Montgomery, Ala. |
| Anthony Davis, Rutgers | OT | So. | Piscataway, N.J. |
| Cedric Dockery, Texas | G | Sr. | Garland, Texas |
| John Estes, Hawaii | C | Jr. | Stockton, Calif. |
| Ray Feinga, BYU | G | Sr. | West Valley City, Utah |
| Alex Fletcher, Stanford | C | Sr. | Old Brookville, N.Y. |
| John Fletcher, Wyoming | DT | Jr. | Erie, Colo. |
| Xavier Fulton, Illinois | OT | Sr. | Flossmoor, Ill. |
| Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech | OT | Sr. | Tyrone. Ga. |
| John Gill, Northwestern | DT | Sr. | Los Altos Hills, Calif. |
| DeMarcus Granger, Oklahoma | DT | Jr. | Dallas, Texas |
| Brigham Harwell, UCLA | DT | Sr. | Chino Hills, Calif. |
| Brett Helms, LSU | C | Sr. | Stuttgart, Ark. |
| Ziggy Hood, Missouri | DT | Sr. | Amarillo, Texas |
| George Hypolite, Colorado | DT | Sr. | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Greg Isdaner, West Virginia | G | Jr. | Gladwyne, Pa. |
| Ricky Jean-Francois, LSU | DT | Jr. | Miami, Fla. |
| John Jerry, Mississippi | OT | Jr. | Batesville, Miss. |
| Peria Jerry, Mississippi | DT | Sr. | Batesville, Miss. |
| Herman Johnson, LSU | G | Sr. | Olla, La. |
| Arthur Jones, Syracuse | DT | Jr. | Endicott, N.Y. |
| Mitch King, Iowa | DT | Sr. | Burlington, Iowa |
| Matt Kroul, Iowa | DT | Sr. | Mount Vernon, Iowa |
| Andy Levitre, Oregon State | OT | Sr. | Ben Lomond, Calif. |
| Phil Loadholt, Oklahoma | OT | Sr. | Fountain, Colo. |
| Jonathan Luigs, Arkansas | C | Sr. | Little Rock, Ark. |
| Alex Mack, California | C | Sr. | Santa Barbara, Calif. |
| Matt Mandich, Arkansas State | OT | Sr. | Hattiesburg, Miss. |
| Sen'Derrick Marks, Auburn | DT | Jr. | Mobile, Ala. |
| Ryan McDonald, Illinois | C | Sr. | Holland, Mich. |
| Josh McNeil, Tennessee | C | Jr. | Collins, Miss. |
| Fili Moala, USC | DT | Sr. | Buena Park, Calif. |
| Eugene Monroe, Virginia | OT | Sr. | South Plainfield, N.J. |
| Gus Mustakas, Pittsburgh | DT | Sr. | Cooper City, Fla. |
| Vince Oghobaase, Duke | DT | Jr. | Houston Texas |
| Michael Oher, Mississippi | OT | Sr. | Memphis, Tenn. |
| Jeff Owens, Georgia | DT | Sr. | Sunrise, Fla. |
| Anthony Parker, Tennessee | G | Sr. | Jonesboro, Ga. |
| Jeremy Perry, Oregon State | G | Sr. | Hau'ula, Hawaii |
| Steve Rehring, Ohio State | G | Sr. | West Chester, Ohio |
| Sergio Render, Virginia Tech | G | Jr. | Newnan, Ga. |
| Dallas Reynolds, BYU | OT | Sr. | Provo, Utah |
| Duke Robinson, Oklahoma | G | Sr. | Atlanta, Ga. |
| Ryan Schmidt, USF | G | Sr. | Boca Raton, Fla. |
| Dorell Scott, Clemson | DT | Sr. | Columbia, S.C. |
| Sean Sester, Purdue | OT | Sr. | Fort Thomas, Ky. |
| A.Q. Shipley, Penn State | C | Sr. | Coraopolis, Pa. |
| Andre Smith, Alabama | OT | Jr. | Birmingham, Ala. |
| Ryan Stanchek, West Virginia | OT | Sr. | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Jim Tartt, Florida | G | Jr. | Sopchoppy, Fla. |
| Terrance Taylor, Michigan | DT | Sr. | Muskegon, Mich. |
| Fenuki Tupou, Oregon | OT | Sr. | Elverta, Calif. |
| Max Unger, Oregon | C | Sr. | Honaunau, Hawaii |
| Kraig Urbik, Wisconsin | G | Sr. | Hudson, Wis. |
| Louis Vasquez, Texas Tech | G | Sr. | Corsicana, Texas |
| Vance Walker, Georgia Tech | DT | Sr. | Fort Mill, S.C. |
| Garry Williams, Kentucky | OT | Sr. | Louisville, Ky. |
| Eric Wood, Louisville | C | Sr. | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Sam Young, Notre Dame | OT | Jr. | Coral Springs, Fla. |
