2020 Preseason Award Projections: Outland Trophy

By Charlie Campbell
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Heading into the 2020 college football season WalterFootball.com will debut our projections for the nation’s leaders during the fall. The All-American teams always have some surprises and the stars of next fall could be the headlining players next April in the 2021 NFL Draft. We also will project the winners of the postseason awards that are given out to the best of college football.

The Outland Trophy is given to the best interior lineman in college football. Three years ago, I correctly predicted Alabama offensive tackle Cam Robinson would win the Outland Trophy. Last year, I was wrong as Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell won the award.

Outland Trophy Winner:

Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama

The Outland Trophy has generally gone to offensive linemen, with a lean toward offensive tackles, and that was one of the reasons why I was correct in my Robinson prediction. Four years ago, Aaron Donald was the first defensive player to win the award since Ndamukong Suh in 2009. There is a lot of interior defensive line talent in college football, however I think the Outland will stick with its inclination of going with an offensive lineman. The award has not had a repeat winner since Dave Rimington at Nebraska in 1981-82, so I won’t pick Sewell to win it again. Considering the Outland has generally favored tackles over guards, I think taking an edge blocker is more likely. Leatherwood has to be a favorite because he could easily be one of the best offensive tackles in the nation in 2020.

Leatherwood played well for Alabama in 2019, showing he has a first-round skill set of size, quickness and athleticism. Taking on LSU last season, Leatherwood showed that he still needs some development in his technique, with Tigers edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson giving Leatherwood some problems. Leatherwood was wise to return to school to improve before going pro, but he has a lot of upside and the skill set to be special.

The 6-foot-6, 322-pounder could be much better as a senior after due to having gained a year of experience starting at left tackle. Leatherwood previously played guard for the Crimson Tide, but after Jonah Williams left for the NFL the coaches moved Leatherwood to left tackle. Having a year under his belt playing on the edge in the SEC could help elevate Leatherwood as a senior and another year working with the Alabama coaches will definitely help him to be a better player in 2020. And that could easily lead to him winning the Outland Trophy.




Outland Trophy Runner-Up:

Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Sewell had a dominant sophomore season as the blind-side protector for Justin Herbert. Possessing good size, length and athleticism, Sewell has a good skill set that could end up making him one of the top prospects for the 2021 NFL Draft.

For his excellent 2019 season, Sewell won the Outland Trophy and was the Pac-12 co-offensive player of the year. He was a shutdown pass protector, not allowing a sack in over 926 snaps. The sophomore only was credited with allowing seven pressures and two hits all season. It was his second straight good season, and Sewell should continue to dominate as a junior. It would be surprising if he didn’t play well in 2020, and Sewell might be could enough to buck the trend and win the Outland Trophy twice.




Outland Trophy Dark Horse:

Walker Little, OT, Stanford

Little was impressive as a freshman starter at left tackle for Stanford in 2017. He did an effective job in run blocking and helped Bryce Love to a huge season. Little was solid as a sophomore and showed an improved ability to protect the passer doing a respectable job in keeping pressure off of quarterback K.J. Costello. His junior year went off the rails when he suffered a season-ending injury in the 2019 season opener. Little wisely returned for his senior year.

Little is strong at the point of attack and does a nice job of sustaining blocks. He has good length to him with a developed frame. Stanford has a reputation for tough players at the point of attack, and that should help Little to get a lot of postseason honors if he has another good season protecting the quarterback.

Little was a favorite to be one of the top offensive lineman in college football in 2019. Thus, it wouldn’t surprise me if he contends the Outland Trophy, but considering his durability problems, I’m more inclined to project him as a dark horse.

Honorable Mentions: Michigan OT Jalen Mayfield, Tennessee OT Cade Mays, Texas OT Sam Cosmi, Tennessee G Tre Smith, Notre Dame OT Liam Eichenberg, Alabama DT LaBryan Ray, Florida State DT Marvin Wilson, USC DT Jay Tufele, Indiana DT Jerome Johnson, Iowa DT Daviyon Nixon and Florida DT Tedarrell Slaton.











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