Heading into what should be a pretty good 2024 campaign, the Illinois football team doesn’t have a lot of backers.
Let me rephrase that, the Illini fans are backing the program, but outside of the Illinois bubble, there aren’t a lot of people who think we have quality talent.
As the award watchlists continue to roll out, this fact becomes clearer and clearer. On Monday, the Maxwell Award watchlist was released for the best player in college football. An Illinois player was nowhere in sight.
Illinois being left off the watchlist for the best player in college football is somewhat understandable. We don’t have an expected Chase Brown-type of player. But on Tuesday, Illinois was left off another watchlist that rubs me the wrong way.
The 2024 Outland Trophy watch list was released. This is the award that the top interior lineman earns. 75 of the best offensive linemen and defensive tackles made the list. Shockingly, not a single Illini lineman earned a spot in the top 75.
Our 2024 preseason Watch List has arrived and features 75 of the nation's best interior linemen vying for the 79th annual award presented by @TheFWAA. https://t.co/ZsbHPjiTHZ pic.twitter.com/mMJB7I91P7
— Outland Trophy (@outlandtrophy) July 30, 2024
The fact that Illinois football offensive tackle JC Davis was left off the Outland Trophy watchlist is baffling
I understand people thinking Illinois might not be good this season. We have been an extremely inconsistent program for years now. But when you have really good player, he should be recognized somewhat for his greatness.
Illinois was able to land offensive tackle JC Davis this offseason from the transfer portal. He was a star at New Mexico, and his abilities on the field are why there were so many programs vying for his services.
In 2023, Davis had the fourth-highest offensive tackle grade on Pro Football Focus. That means he was literally one of the best offensive tackles in the FBS. When you combined both the FBS and FCS, Davis ranked No. 8 among all offensive tackles.
Counting them up, there are 24 offensive tackles on the 2024 Outland Trophy watchlist. The fact Davis isn’t on this list is a travesty. Unless I am missing something, the voters made a big mistake.