Pitt center Jimmy Morrissey and defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman have been named to the 2020 watch list for the Outland Trophy, given annually to the best college football interior lineman in the country.
The award is named after former Kansas and Penn lineman and College Football Hall of Famer John J. Outland and is voted on by members of the Football Writers Association of America, including Alan Saunders of Pittsburgh Sports Now.
Morrissey, a redshirt senior center from Huntington Valley, Pa., is entering his fourth season as Pitt’s starting center and is coming off two straight All-ACC selections. He started all 13 games in 2019 and in total, Morrissey has started 36 games since the 2017 season.
A former walk-on out of La Salle College High School, Morrissey earned a scholarship while earning the starting center job after his first season at Pitt, when he redshirted.
He has also been named a pre-season All-American by Phil Steele and to the watch list for the Campbell Trophy.
Twyman was named a second-team All-American by six selectors after a breakout campaign in 2019 as a redshirt sophomore. He was also named a first-team All-ACC selection.
Twyman was a full-time starter for the first time in his career in 2019, starting all 13 games after making just one start in 2018. He recorded 12 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, becoming the first defensive tackle to lead the Panthers in quarterback sacks since Aaron Donald in 2013.
Twyman has been named a preseason All-American by the Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, The Sporting News and The Walter Camp Foundation. He’s also been placed on the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award two consecutive years.
The Outland Trophy has been given out annually since 1946. Two Pitt players have won it: offensive tackle Mark May in 1980 and Donald in 2013. Oregon’s Penei Sewell won the award in 2019.
