July 10, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Two Gamecock offensive linemen were recognized on national watch lists this week, with veteran tackle Brandon Shell making the preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy and Alan Knott making the Rimington Award’s list.

Shell is one of 24 offensive tackles on the list, which totals 82 athletes. The honor is given each season to the top interior offensive or defensive linemen in the country.

The Goose Creek native begins 2015 as the team’s most durable starter, bringing with him a 35-game streak of consecutive starts. He helped spearhead an offensive attack that averaged 442.6 yards per game and helped protect Dylan Thompson as he broke the school’s single-season passing yards record.

Whereas Shell is riding into his fourth year as a consistent starter, Knott’s career is just beginning to take off. Now a redshirt sophomore, Knott overcame a preseason injury to play in all 13 games for Carolina in 2014. He would ultimately make eight starts in total, including the team’s Independence Bowl win over Miami.

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in Division I, and also has raised over $2.6 million for the cystic fibrosis community. It is named after Dave Rimington, an All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982.

The duo will aim to keep the offense rolling into 2015, starting off on Sept. 3 when the Gamecocks travel to Charlotte to face North Carolina, live on ESPN at 6 p.m.