ATLANTA — Offensive guard Joshua Garnett was announced as Stanford’s first Outland Trophy winner on Thursday evening during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.
Garnett, a 6-5, 321-pound senior from Puyallup, Wash., claimed the 70th annual Outland as the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman over two other finalists — Baylor offensive tackle Spencer Drango and Alabama defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson — at the 25th annual show, which was held for the first time at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Garnett, a human biology major, is the first offensive guard to win the Outland Trophy since Nebraska’s Aaron Taylor in 1997.
Garnett has been a dominant run blocker for the Pac-12 champions, who have scored 30 or more points in each of its past 12 games. He has started 28 straight games for Stanford, which has rushed for at least 100 yards in 47 of its last 50 games. Garnett, a team captain, is a great finisher of blocks and through 13 games has 104 pancakes. He has helped Stanford win the time of possession battle in 17 of the last 19 games with his consistent offensive line play.
Overall, Stanford (11-2) leads the nation in time of possession this season. Stanford ranks 19th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing offense and 18th in scoring heading into a Rose Bowl battle with Iowa.
Garnett, Stanford’s Player of the Game in a 55-17 victory over Arizona, is one of the highest-rated guards for the NFL Draft next spring. He is only Stanford’s second Outland Trophy finalist after offensive guard David DeCastro (2011), a NFL first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And he is the first West Coast player to win the Outland Trophy since Washington State defensive tackle Rien Long in 2002.

Joshua Garnett
More…