TYLER, Texas – Texas junior left tackle Connor Williams was named to the 2017 watch list for The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award on Tuesday afternoon. The award, which began in 2013, is named after 1977 Heisman Trophy and Longhorn Legend Earl Campbell. UT running back D'Onta Foreman won the award a season ago.



Coming off an impressive sophomore campaign, Williams has garnered much preseason attention thus far. In addition to The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list, Williams was also named to the watch lists for the Outland Trophy and the Maxwell Award. He was named a preseason All-American by Sporting News, College Football News and Athlon Sports and also to the preseason All-Big 12 Team.



Last season, Williams started 11-of-12 games and was named a consensus first-team All-American. He was just the fourth sophomore in UT history (joining Hub Bechtol in 1944; Russell Erxleben in 1976 and Earl Thomas in 2009) to earn first-team honors from one of the NCAA's five teams used to recognize consensus All-Americans. He was named first-team All-Big 12 and also earned honorable mention as the league's Offensive Lineman of the Year. Williams helped the Longhorns average 491.3 yards per game and finish 16th nationally in total offense, their first Top-20 team finish since 2008.



As a freshman in 2015, Williams was named a first-team freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, USA Today and ESPN. He started all 12 games at left tackle and was named honorable mention All-Big 12 by the league's coaches. He helped block for a rushing attack that ranked 18th in the nation and third in the Big 12 with 224.8 yards per game. That 2015 offense was just the fourth at Texas since 1950 to record three games with six rushing touchdowns in a season.



The award is given annually to the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits enduring characteristics that define Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community and tenacity. It addition, it is limited to players who were born in the state of Texas, attended a Texas high school or attended a Texas junior college or university.