Aug. 26, 2016
By Charles Goldberg
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - The football season is a week away, but the awards season is still going full blast for Auburn.
The Tigers' Carl Lawson, Montravius Adams, Tre' Williams and Braden Smith earned a spot on the Lombardi Award watch list that was announced Thursday. That continued a trend for Auburn football players being recognized this preseason.
Lawson, the pass-rushing defensive end, is looking for a healthy season after injuries have slowed him the last two seasons. He's also on the watch list for the Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Ted Hendricks Award. Adams, a defensive lineman, is also on the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Outland Trophy. Williams steps into a leadership role as a starting linebacker. And Smith is a solid starter at offensive guard. He's also on the watch list for the Outland Trophy.
Auburn has had two Lombardi Award winners: Tracy Rocker in 1998 and Nick Fairley in 2010. The award was previously limited to interior linemen, linebackers and tight ends, but now includes all position players. The Lombardi seeks to reward players who excel on the field while demonstrating leadership qualities.
2016 preseason honors
Montravius Adams
Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list
Outland Trophy watch list
Rotary Lombardi Award watch list
Senior Bowl watch list
Daniel Carlson
Lou Groza Award watch list
Wuerffel Trophy watch list
AFCA Good Works team nominee
All-America first team (Athlon, Lindy's)
All-SEC first team (SEC coaches, SEC media)
Rudy Ford
Bednarik Award watch list
Paul Hornung Award watch list
Senior Bowl watch list
Alex Kozan
Outland Trophy watch list
Senior Bowl watch list
All-SEC first team (SEC coaches, SEC media)
Devaroe Lawrence
Senior Bowl watch list
Carl Lawson
Bednarik Award watch list
Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list
Ted Hendricks Award watch list
Rotary Lombardi Award watch list
All-SEC first team (SEC coaches, SEC media)
Robert Leff
Senior Bowl watch list
T.J. Neal
Senior Bowl watch list
Braden Smith
Outland Trophy watch list
Rotary Lombardi Award watch list
All-SEC first team (ESPN)
Marshall Taylor
Senior Bowl watch list
TrÃÆ'Æ'© Williams
Rotary Lombardi Award watch list
Charles Goldberg is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @AUGoldMine