Saltes Named to Outland Trophy Watch List
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Teton Saltes has been picking up honors at a fairly rapid rate, and now he can add a big one. Saltes is one of 85 interior linemen from around the nation, and one of just 32 offensive tackles, named to the Outland Trophy Watch List.
The recipient of the 75th Outland Trophy will be announced in early December. The official presentation to the winner will be made in Omaha, Neb., at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, scheduled for Jan. 13, 2021.
Watch list candidates may be added or removed during the season. The distribution of watch list candidates is spread well among the conferences – behind the 14 from the SEC and 12 from the Big Ten are the Pac-12 with 11 and the Atlantic Coast (9), followed by the Mountain West (7), Big 12 (6), the Independents (6), and the American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American and Sun Belt with five each. The list includes 32 offensive tackles, 21 offensive guards, 17 defensive tackles and 15 centers.
Among the Mountain Division, Saltes is one of four so honored. The preseason honor is one of several garnered by the senior from Valley High School in Albuquerque. Saltes, who was also a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy for community service last season, was honored over the summer as a Lobo Hero for his work on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, working with his native Oglala Lakota tribe to distribute needed supplies to those on his home reservation, which was hit particularly hard. Saltes also has worked in and is passionate about suicide prevention, about children’s reading, and he has served with the Save The Children Action Network as an advocate for children, speaking in Washington in 2019. Saltes is expected to be on the initial watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy again in 2020, and he was UNM’s nominee for the All State AFCA Good Works Team, which hasn’t been announced.
With all of that, he has managed to start 24 straight games at right tackle, and he allowed the fewest pressures among MW offensive lineman with 350 passing blocking attempts last season.
Earlier in July, Saltes was one of was named to the College Football America Yearbook Group of 5 Starting Lineup in what amounts to being named to a preseason All-America squad. Saltes was one of two Mountain West players on offense, and one of six overall. New Mexico opens its 2020 schedule at home at Dreamstyle Stadium against Idaho State in the first game of the Danny Gonzales era.
The Valley High School graduate will be a senior for the 2020 season. He graduated from the same high school as new coach Gonzales.
| 2020 OUTLAND TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST (85) | ||
| G Jack Anderson, Texas Tech | C Bryce Harris, Toledo | OT Alex Palczewski, Illinois |
| G Blaise Andries, Minnesota | C Trey Hill, Georgia | C Dylan Parham, Memphis |
| OT Kayode Awosika, Buffalo | OT Jarrett Horst, Arkansas State | C Jarrett Patterson, Notre Dame |
| G Aaron Banks, Notre Dame | C Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma | DT Dom Peterson, Nevada |
| G Deonte Brown, Alabama | G Baer Hunter, Appalachian State | OT Ben Petrula, Boston College |
| G Mike Caliendo, Western Michigan | OT Sadarius Hutcherson, South Carolina | DT LaBryan Ray, Alabama |
| OT Jackson Carman, Clemson | OT Alaric Jackson, Iowa | C Kody Russey, Louisiana Tech |
| OT Larnel Coleman, Massachusetts | C Drake Jackson, Kentucky | OT Teton Saltes, New Mexico |
| OT Sam Cosmi, Texas | G Zion Johnson, Boston College | G Cole Schneider, UCF |
| OT Coy Cronk, Iowa | OT Darian Kinnard, Kentucky | DT Jordon Scott, Oregon |
| C Keegan Cryder, Wyoming | OT Brandon Kipper, Oregon State | OT Penei Sewell, Oregon |
| OT Jake Curhan, California | G Nolan Laufenberg, Air Force | DT Tyler Shelvin, LSU |
| C Drew Dalman, Stanford | OT Alex Leatherwood, Alabama | OT Rashawn Slater, Northwestern |
| OT Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech | OT Walker Little, Stanford | G Trey Smith, Tennessee |
| DT Tyler Davis, Clemson | OT Abraham Lucas, Washington State | DT Dante Stills, West Virginia |
| G Wyatt Davis, Ohio State | G Cain Madden, Marshall | DT Darius Stills, West Virginia |
| OT D’Antne Demery, FIU | DT Ifeanyi Maijeh, Temple | DT Cameron Thomas, San Diego State |
| G Landon Dickerson, Alabama | OT Ilm Manning, Hawai’i | OT Jaylon Thomas, SMU |
| OT Tommy Doyle, Miami (Ohio) | OT Jalen Mayfield, Michigan | DT Khyiris Tonga, BYU |
| G Corey Dublin, Tulane | G Cade Mays, Tennessee | G O’Cyrus Torrence, Louisiana |
| OT Adrian Ealy, Oklahoma | OT Dan Moore, Texas A&M | DT Jay Tufele, USC |
| OT Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame | OT Jaylon Moore, Western Michigan | DT Jaylen Twyman, Pitt |
| C James Empey, BYU | C Jimmy Morrissey, Pitt | OT Cole Van Lanen, Wisconsin |
| OT Parker Ferguson, Air Force | OT Thayer Munford, Ohio State | G Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC |
| C Jaelin Fisher, Charlotte | C Josh Myers, Ohio State | G Dohnovan West, Arizona State |
| G Shamarious Gilmore, Georgia State | DT Lorenzo Neal, Purdue | DT Kobie Whiteside, Missouri |
| G Kendrick Green, Illinois | DT Dion Novil, North Texas | DT Marvin Wilson, Florida State |
| G Kenyon Green, Texas A&M | DT Levi Onwuzurike, Washington | C Jack Wohlabaugh, Duke |
| C Noah Hannon, Appalachian State | ||
| By conference: SEC 14, Big Ten 12, Pac-12 11, ACC 9, Mountain West 7, Big 12 6, Independents 6, American Athletic 5, Conference USA 5, Mid-American 5, Sun Belt 5. | ||
| By position: Offensive Tackles 32, Offensive Guards 21, Defensive Tackles 17, Centers 15. | ||
| Tackles, guards and centers are eligible for consideration; Candidates may be added or removed during the season | ||
The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from three finalists who are a part of the annual FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects a 26-man first team and eventually the three Outland finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner. Only interior linemen on offense or defense are eligible for the award; ends are not eligible.
The Outland Trophy, now in its 75th year, is the third-oldest major college football award. Created in 1946 when Dr. John Outland presented the FWAA with a financial contribution to initiate the award, the Outland Trophy has been given to the best interior lineman in college football ever since. Dr. Outland, an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1890s, eventually took up practice in Kansas City, Mo. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Outland believed linemen did not get the credit they deserved and wanted an award to recognize them.
The Outland Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org and @NCFAA on Twitter to learn more about the association.