TOLEDO, OH – Toledo senior defensive tackle Treyvon Hester (Pittsburgh, PA) and senior offensive lineman Storm Norton (Toledo, OH) were today named to the official watch list for the Outland Trophy. The Outland Trophy is given annually to the nation’s top interior lineman. Hester and Norton are two of only three players from the Mid-American Conference to make the watch list.
Hester was also named to the official watch list for the 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, honoring the country’s top defensive player. The award, given by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), is named in honor of the University of Minnesota’s Bronislaw “Bronko” Nagurski. Hester is one of only four MAC players to make the list.
Hester, a 6-3, 300-pound defensive tackle, is a two-time All-MAC selection. A starter since his freshman season, Hester has recorded 23.5 tackles for loss in his career. He has played his best football in bowl games. As a sophomore at the GoDaddy Bowl, Hester had 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. At last year’s Marmot Boca Raton Bowl, he had four tackles, broke up a pass and was credited with two quarterback hurries.
Norton, a 6-8, 306-pound left tackle, earned first-team All-MAC honors last year. He was named to the 2015 AP All-Bowl Team for his efforts in Toledo’s 32-17 victory over No. 24 Temple in the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl. Norton led an offensive line that allowed just five sacks in 411 passing attempts in 2015, the second-lowest total in the country. The Rocket offense led the MAC in rushing (207.9 yards/game), and was ranked third in scoring offense (35.0) and total offense (460.9).
The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Thursday, Nov. 17. The winner will be announced at the annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet will be held on Monday, Dec. 5 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, NC.
The Outland Trophy list will be trimmed to six or seven semifinalists on Thursday, Nov. 17. Five days later, three Outland Trophy finalists will be named by the FWAA. The winner of the 71st Outland Trophy – named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn at the turn of the 20th century – will be announced on live on ESPN on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 8 in Atlanta. The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, in Omaha, NE.
Toledo opens its season on Friday Sept. 2 at Arkansas State.
