Four Cowboys Named to Lombardi Award Watch List
Four Cowboys will enter next season in the running for the Lombardi Award.
The Lombardi Award is awarded each year to one of the nation’s best linemen or linebackers. Oklahoma State has four candidates on the list: Joe Michalski, Dalton Cooper, Nick Martin and Collin Oliver. Those four selections are tied for the most in the country, joining Ohio State and Alabama.
Michalski and Cooper will have an uphill battle on their hands to try to win the award. No offensive lineman has won the Lombardi since 1996, when Ohio State’s Orlando Pace took home the trophy.
Still, those two will play significant roles for one of the most experienced offensive lines in all of college football. The Cowboys’ line will be integral to opening running lanes for reigning Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon and giving Alan Bowman time to throw.
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Meanwhile, the Cowboys on the other side of the football will have a much better chance at winning if history continues to trend their way. Outside of a small stretch when the award’s criteria changed, a defensive lineman or linebacker has won every award since Pace’s 1996 season.
Last season, Martin led the Big 12 in tackles with 140 and was a force throughout the season. Oliver was among the most versatile players in the country in his first season at linebacker.
Both players shined for a Cowboy defense that steadily improved throughout defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo’s first year at the helm.
While it might be a long shot for an OSU player to win the Lombardi for the first time and get the Big 12’s first since 2009, these four Cowboys will be household names in Stillwater over the next few months.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.