Ohio State's Donovan Jackson, Josh Fryar And Tyleik Williams Named To Outland Trophy Watchlist

The Ohio State Buckeyes had three players named to the Outland Trophy Watchlist on Tuesday. These Buckeyes will look to dominate in the trenches this season.

Sep 2, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Josh Fryar (70) lines up during the NCAA football game at Indiana University Memorial Stadium. Ohio State won 23-3. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

The Ohio State Buckeyes are looking to be even more physical in the trenches this season. Recently at Big Ten Media Day, head coach Ryan Day expressed that this year's team is going to go as the offensive and defensive lines go. Several key players will need to perform at a high level in order for both units to succeed. Three of these key players were just named to the Outland Trophy watchlist on Tuesday.

Left guard Donovan Jackson, right tackle Josh Fryar and defensive tackle Tyleik Williams were the Buckeyes' representatives on the 75-player list. The Georgia Bulldogs had the most representatives with four, while the Buckeyes tied for second most with the Alabama Crimson Tide and USC Trojans.

Watch List szn is in full swing, 3 Buckeyes make @outlandtrophy watch list ‼️
@tyleikk @D_jack78 @joshfryar2 pic.twitter.com/0Zo93pUCyD

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 30, 2024

The Big Ten had just 13 representatives with Ohio State and USC making up nearly half of those.

The 2024 season will be the 79th season of the Outland Trophy being awarded to the best offensive lineman or interior defensive lineman.

Jackson is entering his fourth season with the Buckeyes and has played in all 39 games the past three seasons. He has been a staple at left guard, starting in 26 consecutive games at that spot.

Sept. 9, 2023; Columbus, Oh., USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) and Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Josh Simmons (71) play during the first half of Saturday's NCAA Division I football game at Ohio Stadium. / Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch

Fryar is entering his fifth season with Ohio State and has played in 38 games during the last three seasons. He started all 13 games last season at right tackle and has started 14 total games.

Williams is a force to be reckoned with at defensive tackle. In his 38 games played (12 of those starts), he has recorded 90 tackles, 19 tackles-for-loss and nine sacks. Williams is now listed at 6'3", 327 pounds, which is a heavier weight than he reportedly played at last season. He was also just named to the watchlist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

If these three players can be consistently dominant in 2024, then that will certainly help Ryan Day's squad as they look to make a run towards some championships.