Utah's Spencer Fano named finalist for prestigious college football award

Utes right tackle among three finalists for the top lineman in college football

Utah Utes offensive lineman Spencer Fano (55) has been named one of three finalists for the 2025 Outland Trophy. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Whether it was praise from All-American voters or advanced metrics websites formulating intricate algorithms, all signs heading into the 2025-26 campaign pointed to Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano being the top tackle in college football.

Ahead of the Utes' final regular season game, those proclamations took another step toward coming to fruition.

Fano, a preseason All-American and the No. 1 tackle prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft according to ESPN, was tabbed Tuesday as a finalist for the Outland Trophy, awarded annually to the nation's best college interior lineman on offense or defense.

The All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America selected Fano, Iowa center Logan Jones and Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald as finalists for the prestigious award. It marked the second time in the trophy's history that a player from Utah was named a finalist, as Fano joined four-year standout and former Carolina Panthers All-Pro tackle, Jordan Gross (2002) in that exclusive club.

Gross, a former All-American who played for the Utes from 1999-2002, was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Based on the buzz surrounding Fano, he could follow a similar fate. The most recent mock from ESPN had the 6-foot-6, 308 pound junior going No. 10 overall as the top-ranked offensive tackle in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Fano had yet to declare for the draft going into Utah's Week 14 game at Kansas (Friday 10 a.m. MT, ESPN), though it was clear that he and his teammates along the offensive line had surpassed the high expectations outsiders and head coach Kyle Whittingham placed upon them heading into the season.

The Utes (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) still had hopes of making the Big 12 championship game and College Football Playoff in large part because of its dominant rushing attack, which was spearheaded by their front line's physicality in the trenches. Utah ranked No. 2 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing yards per game (279.6) and rushing touchdowns (37).

Friday's contest against the Jayhawks (5-6, 3-5 Big 12) presented everyone involved in Utah's ground game an opportunity to cement itself as one the best units in program history. Sitting at 3,076 rushing yards on the season, the Utes went into their Black Friday game needing just 188 more yards to break the program's single-season mark of 3,263 rushing yards set in 1984. They also needed two more rushing touchdowns to surpass the team record of 37 set by the 2022 squad.

"The offensive line is really the driving impetus behind that," Whittingham said regarding his team's potent ground game. "I mean, we got a really good, athletic quarterback that runs the ball well, Wayshawn Parker's coming into his own. But without an offensive line that can do the things that our guys have done all year, that stuff doesn't happen."

The recipient of the Outland Trophy will be announced on Dec. 12 during the Home Depot College Football Awards show on ESPN.