We’ve got another college football preseason watch list out, and there are a couple of Ohio State players included.
The Outland Trophy has been around for a very long time. The first one was awarded in 1946 to Notre Dame’s George O’Connor as the best college football interior lineman, and a player has been named annually by the FWAA ever since.
This year’s watch list was released on Monday, and both of the Buckeyes’ book-end offensive tackles, Dawand Jones and Paris Johnson Jr, are among the 89 names to keep an eye on for 2022.
Jones is entering his senior campaign after flirting with leaving early for the NFL draft. He came in as an unheralded prospect in the 2019 class but his combination of size and athleticism has allowed him to develop into a potential early-round NFL draft pick for 2023. He was a second-team All-Big Ten performer in 2021.
The nation's top returning interior linemen are featured on our preseason watch list. https://t.co/fvkpECaZy2 pic.twitter.com/mPbFrcuqvy
— Outland Trophy (@outlandtrophy) July 26, 2022
Johnson has been patiently awaiting his turn to move to his more natural offensive tackle position. Unlike Jones, he was a five-star prospect in the 2020 class expected to make a contribution immediately as a freshman. He did get on the field that year but has yet to be considered as the anchor of the line. He too was a second-team All-Big Ten performer and will get his shot to be the guy this season.
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