OMAHA (FWAA) – Seven semifinalists for the 2024 Outland Trophy – five offensive linemen and two defensive tackles – were announced Wednesday by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee. The semifinalists are each from different schools representing four conferences and represent all four positions eligible for the award.
The Outland Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's best college interior lineman on offense or defense. The All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) selected the semifinalists.
The semifinalists will be pared to three finalists on Tue., Nov. 26. The recipient of the 2024 Outland Trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, live on ESPN on Dec. 12. The official presentation to the winner will be made at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee in Omaha, Neb., on Jan. 22, 2025.
The field for the 2024 Outland Trophy is as follows: offensive tackles Kelvin Banks Jr., of Texas, Will Campbell of LSU and Wyatt Milum of West Virginia; center Seth McLaughlin of Ohio State; guard Addison West of Western Michigan; and defensive tackles Mason Graham of Michigan and Walter Nolen of Ole Miss.
Four of the seven schools represented here have Outland Trophy winners in their past as LSU, Michigan, Ohio State and Texas combine for 10 previous trophies, including the last two. Texas has four previous winners including last year’s honoree, defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat. Ohio State has also had four winners but none since 1996. LSU and Michigan, which had the 2022 winner in center Olusegun Oluwatimi, have one previous winner.
Here is a glance at the seven semifinalists:
Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas (6-4, 320, Jr., Humble, Texas): Banks is consistently one of the nation’s top offensive tackles and the leader of an experienced line on a Texas offense that is averaging 450.2 yards per game and 6.5 yards per play, which is within reach of the school record. Banks’ pass protection is part of a Texas aerial attack (301.1 pass ypg) that is currently at a school-record production. He was the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week following Texas’ 34-3 win over rival Oklahoma and has started 37 consecutive games at Texas.
Banks backs up nine former finalists in Texas’ Outland history, and like the rest is an in-state Texas recruit. He is coached by offensive line coach Kyle Flood.
Will Campbell, OT, LSU (6-6, 323, Jr., Monroe, La.): Campbell is a three-year starter and tracks with Banks as the Southeastern Conference’s best at left tackle. Through 10 games LSU leads the SEC in fewest sacks allowed with 13, tied for 28th nationally. Campbell has allowed only one of them in 480 pass-blocking opportunities, given up only eight quarterback hurries and yielded just four hits on quarterbacks. Campbell, an Outland Trophy National Player of the Week when he graded at 90.1 percent in LSU’s 37-14 win over UCLA, has played a total of 733 offensive snaps this year.
LSU has one previous Outland Trophy winner in defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey from 2007 and two other prior finalists. Campbell is coached by offensive line coach Brad Davis.
Mason Graham, DT, Michigan (6-3, 320, Jr., Mission Viejo, Calif.): An anchor and stalwart coming back from Michigan’s national title team, Graham leads the Wolverines’ interior defense with 37.0 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks at the center of the nation’s 10th-best rush defense (102.4 ypg). He’s a nemesis to opposing quarterbacks, Graham also has 11 career pass breakups knocking down passes at the line. He had a career-best six tackles and a sack against USC this season and three tackles against Texas’ formidable front early in the season.
Graham is the first Outland Trophy finalist at defensive tackle for Michigan. The Wolverines have a recent winner, center Olusegun Oluwatimi in 2022, and have had three previous finalists. Graham is coached by offensive line coach Grant Newsome.
Seth McLaughlin, C, Ohio State (6-4, 305, Gr., Buford, Ga.): McLaughlin has been a welcome addition to the Buckeyes’ offensive line and leads the Big Ten Conference’s No. 3 offense and a balanced attack at 451.4 ypg, 17th in the FBS. A graduate transfer with a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Alabama, McLaughlin (pronounced mih-GLOCK-lin) is also a finalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy. McLaughlin’s lead has running back TreVeyon Henderson only 146 yards short of OSU’s all-time top-five career rushing total.
McLaughlin is Ohio State’s first Outland Trophy finalist since center Pat Elflein in 2016 and has four previous Outland winners. Orlando Pace was the last winner in 1996. McLaughlin is coached by run game coordinator and offensive line coach Justin Frye.
Wyatt Milum, OT, West Virginia (6-6, 317, Sr., Kenova, W. Va.): Milum continues to impress having not allowed a sack and only five quarterback pressures this season. PFF lists Milum is its No. 1 offensive tackle in the nation, grading out at 91.3 percent. His 89.6 run-blocking grade is No. 2 and his pass-blocking grade (88.2) is No. 4 in front of a WVU offense that averages 197.2 ypg (28th in FBS) and has run for at least 140 rushing yards in 24 of its last 26 games since 2022. WVU has three players among the top 13 rushers in the Big 12.
West Virginia does not have an Outland Trophy winner in its past. It lone prior finalist was center Dan Mozes in 2006. Milum is coached by assistant head coach and offensive line coach Matt Moore.
Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss (6-3, 305, Jr., Powell, Tenn.): Nolen is the interior standout on perhaps the FBS’ top defensive front at Ole Miss that has combined 54.0 TFL’s and 33.0 sacks this season. Nolen has earned PFF’s top spot among interior linemen’s run defense with a 91.2 grade The transfer from Texas A&M prior to this season lists ninth at Ole Miss with 32.0 tackles this season with 7.5 TFL’s, 4.0 sacks, 2 pass breakups and three QB hurries. Taking so much attention in the middle has allowed the edge rush to flourish – Ole Miss currently leads the FBS in TFL’s (103) and resulting yards lost (447).
Nolen is the first defensive tackle at Ole Miss to make the Outland Trophy semifinalist stage. Offensive tackle Michael Oher is the Rebels’ lone previous finalist in 2008. Nolen is coached by defensive line coach Randall Joyner.
Addison West, OG, Western Michigan (6-3, 3-5, R-Sr., Cary, Ill.): West is one of the lynchpins of the Mid-American Conference’s top offense, averaging 31.3 points, 395.3 yards per game and 6.29 yards per play. Through 11 weeks, the redshirt senior is leading all FBS guards in run-blocking (90.9), pass-blocking (93.5) and overall PFF grade (93.1). West has been named to the Academic All-MAC Team and the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
West is Western Michigan’s second Outland Trophy semifinalist, with two of the Broncos’ three former FWAA All-Americans coming from the offensive line, most recently in 2017 with Chukwuma Okorafor on the first team. West is coached by co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Trevor Mendelson.
The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from finalists who are a part of the annual FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects a 26-man first team and eventually 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 Outland Trophy, celebrating 79 years 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, Mo. 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. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter at @NCFAA.
Werner Enterprises, Inc. delivers superior truckload transportation and logistics services to customers across the United States, Mexico and Canada. With 2022 revenues of $3.3 billion, an industry-leading modern truck and trailer fleet, more than 14,000 talented associates and our innovative Werner EDGE technology, we are an essential solutions provider for customers who value the integrity of their supply chain and require safe and exceptional on time service. Werner provides Dedicated and One-Way Truckload services as well as Logistics services that include 1truckload brokerage, freight management, intermodal and final mile. As an industry leader, Werner is deeply committed to promoting sustainability and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion. Werner Enterprises common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "WERN." For further information about Werner, visit the company’s website at werner.com.
The Greater Omaha Sports Committee, founded in 1977, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, consisting of more than 1,300 men and women from the City of Omaha, the State of Nebraska, and others. The Committee serves to communicate, develop, initiate and promote sports activities in the Greater Omaha sports area. In addition to the Outland Trophy Award Events and Dinner, the Greater Omaha Sports Committee promotes high school, college, and professional sports in the Greater Omaha area and the Midwest. For more information contact Bob Mancuso Jr., Chairman at bmancuso@showofficeonline.com or see showofficeonline.com.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 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.