Every Sunday we'll handicap the major player awards. Follow the standout players at every position all season long.
| Heisman -- Outstanding Player |
| PLAYER |
POS |
SCHOOL |
COMMENT |
| 1. Peter Warrick |
WR |
Florida State |
Had 1,232 yards and 12 TDs in '98 |
| 2. Ron Dayne |
RB |
Wisconsin |
Needs 1,717 yards to become No. 1 all-time. |
| 3. Jamal Lewis |
RB |
Tennessee |
Has 10 100-yard games in 14 starts. |
| 4. Drew Brees |
QB |
Purdue |
Threw for 39 TDs in '98. |
| 5. LaVar Arrington |
LB |
Penn State |
Posted 7 tackles in three quarters vs. Arizona. |
| |
| Maxwell -- Outstanding Player |
| PLAYER |
POS |
SCHOOL |
COMMENT |
| 1. Peter Warrick |
WR |
Florida State |
Averaged 127.1 all-purpose yards per game. |
| 2. Drew Brees |
QB |
Penn State |
1998 Big Ten offensive player of year. |
| 3. Jamal Lewis |
RB |
Tennessee |
Averaged 6.8 yards per carry last year. |
| 4. Ron Dayne |
RB |
Wisconsin |
Has nine career 200-yard games. |
| 5. Chris Redman |
QB |
Louisville |
Threw for 592 yards against ECU last year. |
| |
| Walker-- Outstanding Running Back |
| PLAYER |
STATS |
SCHOOL |
COMMENT |
| 1. Ron Dayne |
5-10, 253 |
Wisconsin |
Has 51 career TDs in three seasons. |
| 2. Jamal Lewis |
6-0, 217 |
Tennessee |
Rushed for 497 yards in less than four games. |
| 3. Ricky Williams |
5-9, 210 |
Texas Tech |
Rushed for 1,582 yards and 13 TDs in '98. |
| 4. Travis Prentice |
6-2, 228 |
Miami (Ohio) |
Top returning rusher in nation (1,871 yards). |
| 5. J.R. Redmond |
6-0, 215 |
Arizona State |
Averaged 5.3 yards per carry. |
| |
| Outland -- Outstanding Interior Lineman |
| PLAYER |
STATS |
SCHOOL |
COMMENT |
| 1. Steve Hutchinson |
6-5, 296 |
Michigan |
Has played in 24 of 25 games. |
| 2. Cosey Coleman |
6-5, 315 |
Tennessee |
Led Vols to seven 200-yard rushing games. |
| 3. Rob Ritti |
6-3, 285 |
Missouri |
Returning all Big-Ten selection. |
| 4. Semisi Heimuli |
6-2, 303 |
Texas A&M |
Premier run-blocker in Big 12. |
| 5. Jason Whitaker |
6-5, 300 |
Florida State |
Hasn't missed start in 2 seasons. |
| |
| Lombardi -- Outstanding Lineman/Linebacker |
| PLAYER |
POS |
SCHOOL |
COMMENT |
| 1. LaVar Arrington |
LB |
Penn State |
Had 62 tackles and 7 sacks in '98. |
| 2. Corey Moore |
DE |
Virginia Tech |
Led the nation in sacks with 13½. |
| 3. Na'il Diggs |
LB |
Ohio State |
Had 80 tackles and 6 sacks in '98. |
| 4. Courtney Brown |
DE |
Penn State |
Posted 11½ sacks in '98. |
| 5. Rob Morris |
LB |
BYU |
Helped Cougars hold opponents under 20 ppg. |
| |
| O'Brien -- Outstanding Quarterback |
| PLAYER |
STATS |
SCHOOL |
COMMENT |
| 1. Drew Brees |
6-1, 212 |
Purdue |
Threw for 3,983 yards in '98. |
| 2. Chris Redman |
6-3, 215 |
Louisville |
Threw for 4,042 yards last season. |
| 3. Chad Pennington |
6-3, 220 |
Marshall |
Has thrown for over 10,000 yards in 3 seasons. |
| 4. Tim Rattay |
6-1, 200 |
La. Tech |
Had 4,943 yards and 46 TDs in '98. |
| 5. Joe Hamilton |
5-10, 189 |
Georgia Tech |
Threw for 2,166 yards, ran for 408. |
| |
| Biletnikoff -- Outstanding Receiver |
| PLAYER |
STATS |
SCHOOL |
COMMENT |
| 1. Peter Warrick |
6-0, 190 |
Florida State |
Averaged 102.7 yards per game receiving in '98. |
| 2. Danny Farmer |
6-4, 210 |
UCLA |
Had 9 TDs in 58 catches last season. |
| 3. Dez White |
6-1, 214 |
Georgia Tech |
Had 973 yards and 9 TDs last year. |
| 4. Anthony Lucas |
6-3, 196 |
Arkansas |
Had 1,004 yards and 10 TDs in '98. |
| 5. Plaxico Burress |
6-6, 229 |
Michigan State |
Had 65 catches, 1,013 yards, 8 TDs last year. |
| |
| Butkus -- Outstanding Linebacker |
| PLAYER |
STATS |
SCHOOL |
COMMENT |
| 1. LaVar Arrington |
6-3, 233 |
Penn State |
'LaVar Leap' top defensive play of '98. |
| 2. Na'il Diggs |
6-4, 235 |
Ohio State |
Had 65 tackles, 7 sacks, 2 INTs. |
| 3. Rob Morris |
6-2, 250 |
BYU |
Had 147 tackles in '98. |
| 4. Mark Simoneau |
6-0, 240 |
Kansas State |
Second-team all-American had 95 tackles. |
| 5. Marcus Bell |
6-2, 231 |
Arizona |
Posted 139 tackles last year. |
| |
| Bednarik-- Outstanding Defensive Player |
| PLAYER |
POS |
SCHOOL |
COMMENT |
| 1. LaVar Arrington |
LB |
Penn State |
Has 69 tackles, 9 sacks, 2 INTs in 2 years. |
| 2. Corey Moore |
DE |
Virginia Tech |
Recorded 2 blocked FGs and 1 punt in '98. |
| 3. Na'il Diggs |
LB |
Ohio State |
Had 6 sacks, 1 INT, 1 fumble return for TD. |
| 4. Corey Simon |
DT |
Florida State |
Had 65 tackles, 16 for a loss last year. |
| 5. Dwayne Goodrich |
CB |
Tennessee |
Had 3 INTs, 10 pass breakups in '98. |
| |
| Thorpe-- Outstanding Defensive Back |
| PLAYER |
POS |
SCHOOL |
COMMENT |
| 1. Dwayne Goodrich |
CB |
Tennessee |
Returned INT 55 yards for TD in Fiesta Bowl. |
| 2. David Macklin |
CB |
Penn State |
Had 6 INTs and TD last season. |
| 3. Ahmed Plummer |
CB |
Ohio State |
Posted 52 tackles, 4 INTs last year. |
| 4. Tyrone Carter |
SS |
Minnesota |
Led team with 158 tackles, 1 INT, 3 sacks. |
| 5. Lamont Thompson |
FS |
Washington State |
Has 110 tackles, 10 INTs in 2 seasons. |
| |
| Groza-- Outstanding Kicker |
| PLAYER |
YEAR |
SCHOOL |
COMMENT |
| 1. Sebastian Janikowski |
Jr. |
Florida State |
Led nation with 2.25 FGs per game. |
| 2. Nathan Villegas |
Sr. |
Oregon |
Was good on 20 of 22 FGs last year. |
| 3. Ryan White |
So. |
Memphis |
Made every kick last year (16 FGs, 22 PATs). |
| 4. Paul Edinger |
Sr. |
Michigan State |
Led Big Ten with 22 FGs last year. |
| 5. Shayne Graham |
Sr.. |
Virginia Tech |
Scored 103 points in '98. |
