DALLAS - Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler was listed on the 81-man Outland Trophy Watch List released by the Football Writers Association of America on Friday. The award is annually presented to the nation's most outstanding interior lineman.

Butler ââ'¬" a senior tackle from Summit, Mississippi ââ'¬" registered 56 total tackles last year with 13.5 tackles for a loss, the most by any returning player. Billed as "an unmovable force in the middle," Butler forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and was credited with a QB hurry and a pass break-up last year.

He is one of only three Conference USA players listed along with Marshall's Clint Van Horn and Rice's Andrew Reue while being one of four players from Louisiana mentioned alongside LSU's Vadal Alexander, ULM's Gerrand Johnson and Tulane's Chris Taylor.

All 10 FBS Conferences are represented on the list as were five players combined from independents Notre Dame and BYU. There is one returning interior lineman from the FWAA's 2014 All-America team, Baylor's senior offensive tackle Spencer Drango. The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from three finalists who are a part of the FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects the 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 list will be trimmed to six or seven semifinalists on Nov. 19. Five days later three Outland Trophy finalists will be named by the FWAA. The winner of the 70th Outland Trophy, named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn at the turn of the 20th century, will be announced on ESPN on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 10 for the first time from the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be held on Jan. 14, 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska. This year, Maryland's Randy White, the 1975 Outland Trophy winner, will be honored and presented an Outland Trophy, which was not given in the era in which he won the award.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this season, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football. 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 game-day 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.

The Outland Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 22 awards boast more than 700 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about our story.

Beginning in 2015, The Home Depot College Football Awards will have a new home at the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience in downtown Atlanta. Airing live on ESPN on December 10, 2015, college football's brightest stars will be honored for their performance on and off the field.

The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a 11-day period this month. Sixteen of the association's 22 awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates.

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