A small number of Oklahoma State Cowboys end up on watch lists for the preseason.
Preseason award watch list season is rolling on and several Oklahoma State players continue to be featured.
Linebackers Nick Martin and Collin Oliver were both included on the 2024 Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list and offensive linemen Dalton Cooper and Joe Michalski were added to the 2024 Outland Trophy watch list, the Football Writers of America Association announced Tuesday.
The Nagurski Trophy goes to the top linebacker in college football and the Outland Trophy is awarded to the best offensive lineman.
In a breakout 2023 season, Martin earned first team All-Big 12 honors and led the conference in tackles with 140. His 83 solo tackles led all Power Five players and he was one of just five players in FBS to record 17 tackles in multiple games.
Oliver had another strong season in 2023, earning second team All-Big 12 honors to become the ninth defensive player in Oklahoma State history to receive three all-conference selections. The versatile defender has played in all 41 games since he started with the program in 2021 and had six sacks and four forced fumbles last season.
Last season was Cooper’s first year with the Cowboys after transferring from Texas State. He leads the team with 49 career FBS starts and he earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors in 2023. Cooper had the highest overall offensive grade on Oklahoma State’s offensive line last year, per Pro Football Focus.
Another veteran along the offensive line, Michalski led all Power Five players in 2023 with 1,035 offensive snaps and he started all 14 games for the Cowboys. He was one of just two FBS players to play more than 600 blocking snaps without allowing a sack.
The FWAA and Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the 2024 trophy on November 20, and the winner will be unveiled on December 9 at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet in Charlotte, North Carolina. The FWAA will announce the Outland Trophy semifinalists on November 20, and those players will then be paired down to three finalists on November 26. The recipient of the trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 12 with the official presentation being made at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner in Omaha, Nebraska, on January 22, 2025.
