Two Rutgers Linemen Named to Outland Watchlist

A pair of Rutgers University linemen have been named to the Outland Trophy watchlist, according to scarletknights.com.

Kaleb Johnson, a junior offensive tackle from Jacksonville, and Antwan Lowery, a senior guard from Miami, were named to the watchlist this week. The Outland Trophy is awarded to the nation's top interior lineman.

Johnson was named to the all-Big East second team in 2012 after starting all 13 games, according to scarletknights.com. He is a preseason all-conference selection for 2013 by the Athlon, Phil Steele and Sporting News preseason publications. He is one of 25 tackles on the watchlist.

Lowery was a first-team all-Big East selection in 2012, having started every game at left guard, according to scarletknights.com. He is a preseason first-team all-conference selection by Athlon and Phil Steele. He is one of 20 guards on the watchlist.

In 2012, the pair anchored an offensive line that allowed the eighth-fewest sacks in the country, according to scarletknights.com. Their efforts helped pave the way for RB Jawan Jamison to break the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

They are two of the four returning starters on this year's offensive line. The other two are junior center Betim Bujari and senior right tackle Andre Civil, who played right guard last year.

The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) assembles the watchlist and determines the Outland Trophy winner. The winner is selected from the FWAA all-American team.

The award is named for John Outland, a former University of Pennsylvania football player who is one of a select number of players to be named an all-American as a lineman and a backfield player.

Earlier this week, senior linebacker Jamal Merrell was named to the Chuck Bednarik watchlist.