USC football: Tracking the Trojans on 2019 award watch lists

Which Trojans are representing USC football on offseason watch lists in 2019? Christian Rector kicked things off with more to come this summer.

Watch list season arrived early in 2019 with the release of the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list kicking off the annual speculation fest.

Normally, USC football representatives are a regular fixture on off season watch lists but this year might be a bit different. Coming off a 5-7 season and with a load of new faces in the lineup, the Trojans may lack for name recognition.

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So who will and won’t make the cut. Here’s a handy tracker:

2019 USC Watch List Tracker

• Lott IMPACT Trophy (Defense): Christian Rector
• Bednarik Award (Best Defender): Jay Tufele
• Maxwell Award (Player of the Year): JT Daniels
• Davey O’Brien (Best QB): JT Daniels
• Doak Walker (Best RB): Vavae Malepeai
• Biletnikoff Award (Best WR): Michael Pittman and Amon-Ra St. Brown
• Rimington Trophy (Best C):Brett Neilon
• Mackey Award (Best TE): Josh Falo
• Ray Guy Award (Best P): TBA
  • Prediction: Ben Griffiths
• Lou Groza Award (Best K): TBA
  • Prediction: Chase McGrath
  • Nagurski Award (Best Defender): TBA
    • Prediction: Christian Rector
    • Outland Trophy (Best Interior Lineman): TBA
      • Prediction: Andrew Vorhees
      • Thorpe Award (Best DB): TBA
        • Prediction: none
        • Hornung Award (Most Versatile): TBA
          • Prediction: none
          • Butkus Award (Best LB): TBA
            • Prediction: John Houston
            • Wuerffel Trophy (Service): TBA
              • Prediction: none
              • Dodd Trophy (Best Coach): TBA
                • Prediction: none
                • Walter Camp (Player of the Year): TBA
                  • Prediction: JT Daniels

                  Many watch lists include players from the biggest schools just because they play for the biggest schools. In the past that has worked in USC’s favor with fringe players landing on lists without much production to their name. That will have to be the case this year if a Trojan is to appear on the majority of lists.

                  Someone like Brett Neilon could appear on the Rimington watch list simply because he is the presumptive starter at center for USC. Meanwhile, JT Daniels could get watch list attention simply because many will expect him to progress after a lackluster freshman season.

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                  Past Trojans have won many of college football’s highest honors.

                  In 2016 Adoree’ Jackson became USC’s second ever Thorpe Award winner, joining Mark Carrier. Before then, Marqise Lee’s Biletnikoff Award in 2012 was the Trojans most recent national award.

                  Fred Davis was the Mackey Award winner in 2007. Chris Claiborne was honored with the Butkus Award in 1998. Ron Yary won the Outland Trophy in 1967 while Brad Budde won the Lombardi Award in 1979.