University of Louisville offensive lineman Lance Robinson has landed on the Outland Trophy preseason watch list, with the Football Writers Association of America making the announcement Tuesday.
Robinson is one of 68 players included for the award that goes to the top interior lineman in the country. The Camilla, Ga., native earned honorable mention All-ACC honors last season and gave Louisville plenty of flexibility along the line. He started the year at right guard, worked in at right tackle, then finished the regular season by starting the final nine games at left guard.
This fall, Robinson is set to anchor a reshaped Louisville offensive line as the only returning starter from last season.
The next checkpoints for the award are already on the calendar. The semifinalists will be announced on Nov. 18, with the three finalists revealed in a joint announcement with ESPN on Nov.
- The 81st winner of the Outland Trophy will be announced during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN in December, and the official presentation will come at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee in Omaha, Neb., on Jan.
27, 2027.
The Outland Trophy is in its 81st year and remains the third-oldest major college football award. It was created in 1946 after Dr.
John Outland gave the FWAA financial support to launch it. Outland, an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1890s, later practiced in Kansas City, Mo., and wanted a way to give linemen the recognition he felt they deserved.
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Jeff Brohm May Finally Unleash A New Dimension In Louisvilles Offense
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The player at the center of that conversation is Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz, whose dual-threat skill set has drawn strong optimism from within the program. Brohm views him as the most athletic quarterback he has coached, and if that assessment holds once the season begins, Louisville may finally have the kind of quarterback-driven wrinkle that can make the entire offense harder to defend. [Read more 🡒]
