BATON ROUGE – LSU senior left tackle La’el Collins became the sixth Tiger in school history to win the prestigious Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the Southeastern Conference’s most outstanding blocker, the SEC office announced Wednesday.
Collins was selected as the winner by a vote of the league’s head coaches.
He joins OT Ciron Black in 2009, OG Alan Faneca in 1997, OT Robert Dugas in 1978, FB/HB J.W. Brodnax in 1958 and QB/FB Bill May in 1936 as LSU players to win the distinguished award.
Collins is a three-year starter for LSU, cracking the lineup as the starting left guard as a sophomore in 2012 before sliding out to left tackle in 2013 and 2014.
He leads all LSU linemen this season in offensive snaps played at 792 and knockdown blocks with 84.5 through 12 games. Collins’ 84.5 knockdowns are the most in a season by an LSU offensive lineman since 2011 when Will Blackwell tallied 112.5 in 14 games in his All-American season.
Collins enters the bowl game coming off one of his best performances. Against Texas A&M, he registered a career-high 13.5 knockdowns while paving the way for a season-best 384 rushing yards, the most rushing yards in an SEC game for LSU since 1997 versus Kentucky.
No. 22 LSU will make its first trip to the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 when the Tigers face Notre Dame in Nashville, Tenn. Kickoff from LP Field is slated for 2 p.m. CT.
Tickets to the bowl game are on sale at http://www.lsutix.net/. Tickets in the lower section of LP Field, which is the home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, are $85, while club level seats are $120. All tickets include a processing fee.
For more information, call the LSU Ticket Office at 225-578-2184.
LSU Recipients of the SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy (awarded annually to the SEC’s most outstanding blocker as selected by SEC head coaches)
1936 – Bill May, QB/FB
1958 – J.W. Brodnax, FB/HB
1978 – Robert Dugas, OT
1997 – Alan Faneca, OG
2009 – Ciron Black, OT
2014 – La’el Collins, OT
2014 SEC Awards
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Amari Cooper, Alabama
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Shane Ray, Missouri
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Marcus Murphy, Missouri
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Nick Chubb, Georgia
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Chris Conley, Georgia
JACOBS BLOCKING TROPHY
La’el Collins, LSU
COACH OF THE YEAR
Gary Pinkel, Missouri