The long wait is nearly over as football fans are less than two months away from the start of the 2014 college football season. With the season approaching, the presenters of various college football awards have started releasing their "watch lists" for the season.
The organizers of the Lombardi Award (top lineman or linebacker) released a list of 123 players. Among the big names: Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley, Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun, LSU offensive tackle La'el Collins, Florida State offensive tackle Cameron Erving, Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory, UCLA's linebacker Myles Jack, Texas A&M offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman and Iowa offensive tackle Brandon Scherff. Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a first-round pick of the Rams, won the award last season.
Lombardi Award watch list
Henry Anderson, Stanford
Stephone Anthony, Clemson
Chi Chi Ariguzo, Northwestern
T.T. Barber, Middle Tennessee State
Jamaal Bass, Northern Illinois
Vic Beasley, Clemson
Michael Bennett, Ohio State
Austin Blythe, Iowa
Joey Bosa, Ohio State
Brett Boyko, UNLV
Kelby Brown, Duke
Brandin Bryant, Florida Atlantic
Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State
AJ Cann, South Carolina
Justin Cherocci, Central Michigan
Le'Raven Clark, Texas Tech
Ben Clarke, Hawaii
La'el Collins, LSU
Christian Covington, Rice
Carl Davis, Iowa
Tyeler Davison, Fresno State
Reese Dismukes, Auburn
Jamil Douglas, Arizona State
Spencer Drango, Baylor
Ejiro Ederaine, Fresno State
Steve Edmond, Texas
Mario Edwards, Florida State
Cameron Erving, Florida State
Dominic Espinsoa, Texas
Kyler Frackrell, Utah State
Devonte Fields, TCU
BJ Finney, Kansas State
Trey Flowers, Arkansas
Leonard Floyd, Georgia
Alani Fau, BYU
Bryce Giddens, Arkansas State
Hroniss Grasu, Oregon
Randy Gregory, Nebraska
Bryce Hager, Baylor
Justin Hamilton, UL-Lafayette
Lincoln Hansen, Eastern Michigan
Rob Havenstein, Wisconsin
Brock Hekking, Nevada
Ben Henney, Kansas
Treyvon Hester, Toledo
Sean Hickey, Syracuse
Jermaine Holmes, Marshall
Chucky Hunter, TCU
Martin Ifedi, Memphis
Scott Inskeep, UTEP
Myles Jack, UCLA
Tre Jackson, Florida State
Grady Jarrett, Clemson
Chris Jasperse, Marshall
Cameron Jefferson, UNLV
Chris Johnson, Navy
Kaleb Johnson, Rutgers
A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
Gerrand Johnson, UL-Monroe
Tyler Johnstone, Oregon
Chris Jones, Mississippi State
Bronson Kaufusi, BYU
Eric Kendricks, UCLA
Andrae Kirk, Florida Atlantic
Arie Kouandjio, Alabama
Qushaun Lee, Arkansas State
Cyril Lemon, North Texas
Braden Lyons, Florida Atlantic
Luther Maddy, Virginia Tech
Derrick Malone, Oregon
Greg Mancz, Toledo
Nick Martin, Notre Dame
Shaquille Mason, Georgia Tech
Tyler Matakevich, Temple
Josue Matias, Florida State
Derrick Mathews, Houston
David Mayo, Texas State
Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State
Silverberry Mouhon, Cincinnati
Ryan Mueller, Kansas State
Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss
Shawn Oakman, Baylor
Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M
Andrus Peat, Stanford
Remington Peck, BYU
Denzel Perryman, Miami
Andy Phillips, Central Michigan
Terrance Plummer, UCF
Hayes Pullard, USC
Mykhael Quave, UL-Lafayette
Daniel Quave, UL-Lafayette
Cedric Reed, Texas
Jacob Richard, Ball State
Tyler Roberts, Troy
A'Shawn Robinson, Alabama
Jake Ryan, Michigan
Ty Sambrailo, Colorado State
Brandon Scherff, Iowa
Isaac Seumalo, Oregon State
Danny Shelton, Washington
Steve Shumaker, Army
Robert Singletary, UTSA
Jake Smith, Louisville
Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame
Quinton Spain, West Virginia
Eric Striker, Oklahoma
Junior Sylvestre, Toledo
AJ Tarpley, Stanford
Shaq Thompson, Washington
Laken Tomlinson, Duke
Dominique Tovell, UL-Lafayette
Max Tuerk, USC
Clint Van Horn, Marshall
Zach Virgil, Utah State
Diaheem Watkins, UAB
Cody Whitehair, Kansas State
Cody Wichmann, Fresno State
Ucambre Williams, South Alabama
Leonard Williams, USC
Ramick Wilson, Georgia
Eddie Yarbrough, Wyoming
Mason Y'Barbo, North Texas
