Indiana offensive lineman Bray Lynch has been named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Preseason Watch List, according to an announcement from SPORTyler and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Selection Committee. The award is given annually to the nation’s most outstanding Division I offensive player who graduated from a Texas high school or plays at a four-year college in Texas.
Lynch, a 6-foot-5, 307-pound junior from Austin, Texas, attended Westlake High School and graduated in 2022 before joining Indiana University that fall. At Westlake, he was recognized as a 2021 MaxPreps All-American and helped the team secure three straight state championships between 2019 and 2021.
Since arriving at Indiana in 2022, Lynch has played an important role both on and off the field. Last season, he contributed to Indiana’s 11-2 record and its College Football Playoff berth. He was part of an offensive line that was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, which recognizes the best offensive line unit in the country. Additionally, Lynch earned Big Ten All Academic honors for two consecutive seasons.
Lynch started all thirteen games last season and is expected to continue as a starter at guard this season alongside teammates Carter Smith, Pat Coogan, Drew Evans, and Khalil Benson.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award honors not only athletic excellence but also recognizes players who demonstrate characteristics such as integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community involvement, persistence, and determination. Each week during the regular season an Earl Campbell Tyler Rose National Player of the Week is selected. Sixteen semifinalists will be chosen in November followed by up to five finalists announced in December. The winner of the award will be revealed in January.
The award is named after Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Earl Campbell. Campbell graduated from John Tyler High School in Tyler, Texas before playing for Texas where he led the nation with 1,744 rushing yards and nineteen touchdowns as a senior. He won the Heisman Trophy and later joined the Houston Oilers where he earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1978 and led the NFL in rushing three times. Campbell received NFL MVP recognition in 1979 before his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.
