University of Kentucky senior center Jon Toth has been named to another national watch list, this time for the 2016 Outland Trophy, which annually seeks to honor college football’s best interior lineman, it was announced Friday, July 8.
This is the second national watch list honor for Toth this week as Wednesday he was one of 61 centers named to the 2016 Rimington Trophy Fall Watch List, which honors college football’s best center.
The Southeastern Conference led all conferences with 12 players on the Outland Trophy Watch List, followed by the Big Ten (11), Atlantic Coast Conference (10), Pac-12 (10), Big 12 (6), American Athletic (4), Conference USA (4), Independents (4), Mountain West (4), Mid-American (3) and Sun Belt (2). The list includes 22 offensive tackles, 20 offensive guards, 17 defensive tackles and 11 centers. It can be trimmed or enlarged during the regular season as players emerge or drop out of play.
The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from three finalists who are a part of the annual Football Writers Association of America All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects a 26-man first team and eventually the three Outland finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner. Only interior linemen on offense or defense are eligible for the award.
Toth, a native of Indianapolis, is one of four returning starters on the offensive line and is considered one of the top centers in college football for the second straight season. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound senior, will enter his final campaign having played in 36 games with 35 consecutive starts. Last season, he helped UK’s four-man running back rotation collect 1,855 yards, including Stanley “Boom” Williams who averaged a school-record 7.1 yards per carry.