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Two Pitt Panthers were honored with spots on the Outland Trophy watch list released by the Football Writers of America Association on Tuesday, with Pitt center Jimmy Morrissey and Pitt defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman both getting nods. The award is named for Penn tackle John H. Outland and dates back to 1946. It is intended to honor the best interior lineman, offensive or defensive, in the nation.
The 85-man list includes nine candidates from the ACC. Pitt, Boston College and Clemson were the only programs in the conference to place multiple candidates on the list, as the Tigers saw offensive tackle Jackson Carman and defensive tackle Tyler Davis included and Eagles offensive linemen Zion Johnson and Ben Petrula were also recognized.
For Twyman, the Outland Trophy watch list is the third that he has been placed on this summer. The 6’2”, 290-pound tackle has also been included on the Bednarik Award watch list and the Nagurski Trophy watch list. Both of those honors are intended to name a Defensive Player of the Year in college football, with the difference being the groups that vote on each honor. Twyman had a team-high 10.5 sacks and 12 tackles for losses as the leader of one of the nation’s top defenses in 2019.
Twyman’s offensive counterpart, Morrissey, is also up for multiple awards this season, as he was placed on the watch list for the Campbell Trophy, which recognizes academic achievement and success on the gridiron. Morrissey has been the star of an otherwise iffy Pitt offensive line for the past couple of years. In 2019, he did not allow a single sack in 13 games. Morrissey and Twyman both earned first-team All-ACC honors for their performance in 2019, with Twyman also taking home second-team All-America honors.
The Outland Trophy has gone to Pitt lineman twice in the award’s 74-year history, with Mark May winning the honor in 1980 and Aaron Donald taking it home in 2013. Last season, the Outland Trophy went to Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell, who will be back with the Ducks for the 2020 season.