LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (FWAA) – Texas A&M offensive tackle Luke Joeckel, who has served as a protector and blocker for Heisman Trophy finalist Johnny Manziel, was named the 67th winner of the Outland Trophy on Thursday night.

The 6-6, 310-pound junior from Arlington, Texas, was revealed as the 2012 Outland winner on ESPN during "The Home Depot College Football Awards" from the Atlantic Dance Hall at the Walt Disney World Resort.

The FWAA selects the Outland Trophy winner from interior linemen on
its All-America team, which will be announced next Friday, Dec. 14. Joeckel beat out Alabama center Barrett Jones, the 2011 Outland Trophy winner as an offensive tackle, and North Carolina guard Jonathan Cooper, for the third-oldest award in major college football.

Despite its rich football history, Texas A&M has never had an Outland Trophy winner – or even a finalist – until Joeckel. Jones was seeking to become only the second player in the award's history to win it twice after Nebraska center Dave Rimington won the award in both 1981 and '82.

"It's crazy to think about it," Joeckel said of being named the top interior lineman in college football. "It is a dream come true. I am honored by it. I don't think I am one of the best players I see on film. I am one of my harshest critics, I guess."

Joeckel was a mainstay of the powerful Texas A&M offensive line that made quite an impact in the school's first season in the Southeastern Conference, including the Aggies' upset of then top-ranked and unbeaten Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Nationally, the 10-2 and AT&T Cotton Bowl-bound Aggies are third in total offense and scoring offense, 13th in rushing offense, and 14th in passing offense.

Joeckel

Joeckel had a ringside seat watching and playing in front of Manziel, the freshman quarterback sensation who he said "had two years of Heisman highlight films in one season." Already, Manziel has been selected to several All-America teams as he led the SEC in rushing yards per game (98.4) and shattered the conference's single-season total offense record (4,600).

"Yes, it's a huge compliment to us," Joeckel added of Manziel's instant fame as a freshman, including being named one of the three 2012 Heisman Trophy finalists.

Although Texas A&M lost its SEC opener against Florida, Joeckel said the offensive line adjusted to the speed and talent it encountered. "The guys in the SEC are bigger, faster, stronger, but the biggest thing is depth," Joeckel said. "In the Big 12 you might play just against one guy the whole game (instead of several)."

Joeckel is the fourth SEC player to win the Outland Trophy in the last six years, starting with LSU's Glenn Dorsey in 2007, Alabama's Andre Smith in 2008 and then Jones a year ago. While Joeckel is just a junior, he may have to consider what his NFL Draft status will be come next April.

"I am just taking it all in," said Joeckel, who is on schedule to get his degree in business marketing next December. "I am talking to my family and my coaches. My dream is to play in the NFL. There are a ton of things to think about. I believe I'm at the best school in the entire country. It would be hard to leave such a great school."

The Outland Trophy, named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn in the late 1800s, will be officially presented on Jan. 10, 2013, in Omaha, Neb., at a banquet sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee. At the same banquet, Arkansas defensive tackle Loyd Phillips will receive an Outland Trophy. He was the 1966 winner of the award before trophies were handed out by the FWAA.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com or 972-713-6198.

The Outland Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official Web site, ncfaa.org.

Related links:
• Official site (outlandtrophy.com) | All-time Outland winners
• National College Football Awards Association (ncfaa.org)
• collegepressbox.com (for logo/photo downloads)