Senior left tackle La’el Collins was chosen as one of the players on the 2014 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List on Monday afternoon. This is the second consecutive season Collins has been a candidate of the award.
The Lombardi Award is given annually to the top offensive lineman, defensive lineman and linebacker in college football. The winner will be announced during a ceremony Dec. 10 at the Bayou Music Center in Houston, Texas.
Collins has been a cornerstone of the LSU offense, beginning his freshman season when he was voted freshman All-American by CBSsports.com. The Baton Rouge native started in 25 of 26 games during his sophomore and junior seasons, recording more than 60 knockdowns.
As the leader of the offense line last season, Collins earned second team All-Southeastern Conference honors his junior season. He was projected to be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft, but opted to stay in school for his senior year.
Collins will be one of the three LSU players speaking Wednesday at the 2014 SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala. He will be joined by senior linebacker D.J. Welter, senior running back Terrence Magee and LSU coach Les Miles.