MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Oct. 10, 2024) — WVU’s offensive line has been named one of 22 members on the 2024 Midseason Honor Roll, as announced by the Foundation for Teamwork, who has presented the Joe Moore Award for the Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in College Football since 2015.
Earning a spot on this year’s Midseason Honor Roll are the O-lines of No. 7 Alabama, Army, No. 10 Clemson, Iowa, No. 18 Kansas State, Louisiana, No. 13 LSU, 6 Miami, No. 24 Michigan, Navy, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Penn State, Rutgers, No. 25 SMU, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 1 Texas, Texas Tech, UConn, UNLV, Western Michigan and West Virginia.
Honor Roll Glance at West Virginia (3-2)
389 rush yards last week at Oklahoma State, seventh most by a team in any game this season and second most by a Big 12 team.
Only team with two different players in the Top 10 of BIG-12 rushing yardage.
LT Wyatt Milum is one of just seven players in the nation with at least 100 pass block snaps and zero pressures allowed.
Offensive line coach: Matt Moore
This year’s Midseason Honor Roll members represent eight conferences and one independent (in alphabetical order): AAC (2), ACC (3), BIG TEN (6), BIG-12 (3), MAC (1) MWC (1), SEC 4), SUN BELT (1), and UConn. For games played through Oct. 5, 2024, these teams boast a combined record of 94-19, including nine undefeated squads, thirteen ranked teams overall, and eight teams ranked in the Top 10.*
These units have gained the attention of the Joe Moore Award voting committee as it moves closer to announcing the selection of its semifinalists on Nov. 12, and its finalists on Dec. 3. Selection of the Joe Moore Award Winner will be made public after the award’s annual surprise visit to the winning university’s campus, which will likely be in late December.
“The O-line position takes time to gel, and units are finding their rhythm later in the season than we’ve ever seen,” said Cole Cubelic, lead analyst for the SEC Network. “More teams are showing flashes of physicality and excellence, but the consistency of play has been more uneven than we’re used to seeing at this point." Cubelic, who played center at Auburn from 1996-01, added, “It’s something to watch moving forward, especially with depth likely being tested like never before due to the extended postseason and the impact of the portal and roster turnover."
“It’s great to see physicality making a comeback across all levels of football, especially after years of offenses focusing on space and speed,” said Lance Zierlein, NFL Draft Analyst for NFL.com. “While the results vary, more O-lines are getting downhill and playing with a renewed sense of aggression—a welcome return for some programs that had gotten away from it.”
“One of the early takeaways this season is that many O-line units are still working on how to operate as one and see the game through the same set of eyes,” said Brandon Thorn, editor of Trench Warfare, one of the most respected newsletters focusing on offensive and defensive line play. “We’re seeing too many cases where you’ll get great combo blocks or double teams on one side, but missed assignments or mistakes on the other, that derail the entire play.” Thorn, whose Trench Warfare has earned acclaim from NFL scouts, analysts, and college coaches, added, “I think part of this is due to it still being early in the season, but the influx of transfers and conference realignment has likely made it even harder for units to get on the same page as quickly as we’re used to seeing.”
“Each unit of this year’s Midseason Honor Roll has earned the right to be recognized for displaying the award criteria in a variety of ways that embody the essence of our position,” said Aaron Taylor, CBS college football analyst and founder of the Joe Moore Award. Taylor played guard at the University of Notre Dame for the award’s namesake, the legendary offensive line coach Joe Moore. “As always, physicality, finishing, and consistency in technique will likely be what elevates the units that do what it takes down the stretch to earn this award in the eyes of their peers.”
Units of Interest
In addition to the O-line units listed above, committee members also took note of the play and production of Boston College, Georgia Southern, Iowa State, Liberty, and UCF.
Honor Roll Criteria and Selection Process
The Joe Moore Award voting committee judges solely on six criteria: toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique, and finishing.
Evaluations for the Midseason Honor Roll were made exclusively through weekly review of actual game film, including offensive line coach-provided cut-ups.
Looking Ahead
After The Joe Moore Award Semifinalists and Finalists have been selected, a vote will be held to select the 2024 Winnerof the Joe Moore Award by a voting body of 200-plus members. This voting body includes all of the current O-line coaches at the Division I/FBS level, as well as former players, coaches, colleagues of Coach Moore and select, qualified media members.
In addition to reviewing game tape every week of the season, the Joe Moore Award voting committee will later go through each of the finalists’ season-long highlight reels and multiple back-to-back quarters of game film.
Past Award Recipients
Past recipients of the Joe Moore Award include the offensive lines of the University of Alabama (2015), the University of Iowa (2016), the University of Notre Dame (2017), Oklahoma University (2018), LSU (2019), the University of Alabama (2020 - first repeat winner), The University of Michigan (2021 and 2022 - first back to back winner), and the University of Washington (2023).
About the Joe Moore Award
The Joe Moore Award is named after Joe Moore, widely regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in college football history, most notably for his work at Notre Dame and the University of Pittsburgh. Coach Moore sent 52 players on to the NFL, including Bill Fralic, Mark May, Russ Grimm, Jimbo Covert and others. The Joe Moore Award trophy, crafted by legendary sports sculptor Jerry McKenna, is the largest trophy in college football, standing at a height of 6 feet and weighing in at 800 pounds. The perpetual trophy is made available for display by the winning university until the conclusion of the following college football season.
About The Foundation for Teamwork
The Foundation for Teamwork is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering teamwork in all societal endeavors and bring that spirit of collective achievement to athletics, education, and organizations. Find out more at joemooreaward.com and follow the Joe Moore Award on Twitter (@joemooreaward), Instagram (@joemooreaward), and Facebook (facebook.com/JoeMooreAward).
