Texas Football’s Jake Majors earns Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honors

Press release via UT Athletics

Texas senior center Jake Majors was selected as the Outland Trophy’s National Player of the Week, the Football Writers Association of America announced Tuesday. Majors was previously named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Outland Trophy.

In addition to being recognized by the Outland Trophy this week, Majors earned the Southeastern Conference’s Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week accolade on Monday.

The win over Michigan on the road snapped the Wolverines’ win streaks of 16 overall victories, a Big Ten-record 29 regular season wins, 23 home wins (their longest streak since 28 in 1969-73), 23 non-conference wins at home dating back to 2014, and 15 overall non-conference regular-season victories. Texas’ 19-point win was the Longhorns’ largest margin of victory against a top-10 team on the road since 1979. That year, UT knocked off No. 5/7 Missouri, 21-0, in Columbia. It also was the Longhorns’ biggest point differential over a top-10 team overall since 2005 when the UT knocked off No. 10/8 Texas Tech in Austin, 52-17.

Majors is the second-straight Longhorn offensive lineman to obtain SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week accolades after Cameron Williams Jr. was recognized by the conference office on Sept. 2. Majors was the highest-graded offensive lineman for the Longhorns in road victory at No. 10/9 Michigan. The Prospect, Texas, product squared off against two of the best defensive tackles in college football in All-American Mason Graham and All-Big 12 honoree Kenneth Grant and did not allow a sack, while the pair of Wolverines combined for four tackles and no quarterback pressures.

Majors helped Texas rush for 143 yards (4.5 ypc), while with Graham and Grant anchoring the Michigan defense last season, it ranked No. 5 in the nation in rush defense allowing only 90.0 yards per game.  Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Kyle Flood has often called Majors an extension of himself on the field, and with Majors managing the offensive line, the offense compiled 389 total yards and 31 points. Last season, the Michigan defense led the nation in total defense (247.0 ypg) and scoring defense (10.4 ppg).

UT returns to the friendly confines of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for a 6 p.m. CT kick against UTSA on Saturday, Sept. 14 on ESPN. Mark Jones (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) and Quint Kessenich (sideline) will have the call.