Football’s Campbell earns spot on Outland Trophy watch record

By: Grace Tafolla

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Football senior OL DJ Campbell was positioned on the preseason watch record for the eightieth Outland Trophy, the Football Writers Association of America and the Greater Omaha Sports Committee introduced Tuesday morning. The Outland Trophy has been awarded yearly since 1946 to the nation’s finest school inside lineman on offense or protection.

It’s Campbell first time being honored on the preseason watch record for the award. UT has received back-to-back Outland Trophies and 5 total. Former Longhorn left deal with Kelvin Banks Jr. received the distinguished award in 2024 and former Texas defensive deal with T’Vondre Sweat took dwelling the trophy in 2023. Former Texas defensive deal with Scott Appleton (1963), linebacker Tommy Nobis (1965) and defensive deal with Brad Shearer (1977) have additionally received the award.

Campbell garnered preseason First-Team All-SEC honors on offense on July 18. A 6-foot-3 offensive guard from Arlington, Texas, Campbell has performed in 37 video games with 30 begins, together with beginning in all 16 video games in 2024. Last season, he was a part of an offensive line unit that was nabbed a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which works to the nation’s most excellent offensive line unit. He was a key piece to a UT offensive line that protected for QB Quinn Ewers, who accomplished 293-of-445 passes (65.8 p.c) for 3,472 yards and 31 touchdowns whereas averaging 248.0 yards per contest in 14 begins. Ewers completed sixth within the FBS in passing touchdowns (31), 14th in passing yards (3,472), 14th in factors liable for (202), twenty fifth in passing effectivity (149), twenty sixth in passing yards per sport (248.0), twenty sixth in completion share (65.8 p.c), and twenty seventh in completions per sport (20.93). He was part of a balanced Longhorn offense that averaged 278.8 passing yards (14th FBS), 158.8 dashing yards and 33 factors (twenty ninth FBS) per sport. He blocked for working backs Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner. Blue was drafted within the fifth spherical of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, and Wisner is the SEC’s solely returning 1,000-yard rusher forward of the 2025 season. Wisner ran for 1,064 yards on the bottom in 2024.

The recipient of the 2025 Outland Trophy can be introduced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, reside on ESPN on Friday, Dec. 12. The official trophy presentation to the winner can be made on the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee on Jan. 21, 2026 in Omaha, Neb.

UT opens the 2025 slate on the highway at Ohio State at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Aug. 30, inside Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The sport will broadcast as a part of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, and ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast reside from the Ohio State University campus. College GameDay will air for 3 hours from 8-11 a.m. CT, hosted by Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Pat McAffee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and different ESPN personalities. It would be the last present for longtime ESPN persona Lee Corso as he’s set to retire following Week 1 of the 2025 season.