Gator Country

Dallas -- University of Florida offensive lineman Jim Tartt was among those listed by The Football Writers Association of America on its 2008 Outland Trophy Watch List, which was announced Friday. Seventy standout linemen from around the country have been nominated for consideration in the preseason.

Tartt, a rising senior from Sopchoppy, Fla., has played in 30 games with 29 starts at left guard. His career start total is the highest among any active member of the team. In 2007, he was named to the All-SEC second team by the league coaches. He started all 13 games for the Gators a year ago and graded out a champion more than any other player on the line.

The Outland Trophy has been awarded to the best interior lineman in college football since 1946. With input from the entire FWAA membership, the winner is selected by the FWAA’s All-America Committee, which selects the association’s 25-man All-America team and picks the three Outland Trophy finalists and the winner.

The 2008 Outland Trophy announcement will be on Dec. 11 in Orlando, Fla., on the ESPNU Home Depot College Football Awards Show. Three finalists will appear on the show. The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be on Jan. 15, 2008 in Omaha, Neb.

The Outland Trophy is named after the late John Outland, a lineman at Pennsylvania at the turn of the century. 

Additional Outland Trophy candidates may be added during the course of the season. Tackles, guards and centers are eligible for consideration.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 900 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards, a national poll and its annual All-America team.

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