Houston native Ed Oliver took home the trophy that goes to the top interior lineman in college football on Thursday night. Oliver is the first sophomore to win the award since its inception in 1946. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound tackle was selected over finalists Quenton Nelson, a guard at Notre Dame, and Oklahoma offensive tackle Orlando Brown
"I'm not surprised. He's the best lineman in college football - it is not even close," said Houston head coach Major Applewhite.
"Ed is just a tremendous player. He has a lot of great physical skill. He works to hone those skills every day. He is a technician. He has a 3.2 GPA over his first semesters and you don't have to worry about him off the field."
This season, Oliver has 5.5 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, three pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries. Oliver was also one of five finalists for the FWAA's Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defensive player. He is the first player from Houston to win the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honor.