I'm probably biased because of my offensive line background, but I believe that the Joe Moore Award honoring the best offensive line unit in college football is the best award out there.
It starts with the fact that they honor the entire unit instead of just one individual, but it's really about honoring the most unsung unit in all of sports, and one that is built on violently, and unselfishly, moving one man against his will for the sake of a team goal.
Folks, it just got even better.
The creators of the Joe Moore Award announced this morning some significant news, sharing they believe that they are the first post season college award to launch a Name Image and Likeness (NIL) program for its recipients.
Michigan's offensive line was awarded the honor last week, and thanks to the new rules allowing college athletes to be paid for their Name, Image, and Likeness, the nine members of the Wolverines offensive line will now be able to reap some financial rewards from the prestigious honor.
CBS analyst and Joe Moore Award co-founder Aaron Taylor, a recent inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame who played for Joe Moore during his All-American career at Notre Dame, had the following to share on the news:
"We have seen the great amount of exposure that both winners and finalists of all the major college football awards receive throughout the years, but the actual and immediate benefit from winning the award typically goes to the presenter, not the presentee."
"We want to begin to change that dynamic with the growth of NIL for these athletes, and the Joe Moore Award is proud to be what we believe to be the first of the major awards to begin a program which will have long-lasting benefits and a financial upside for our winners, and in many cases for the causes which will be tied to the program. On the field, we've always known that when the o-line wins, we all win, and we're excited to help Michigan's O-line extend that same principle in our communities."
Shortly after the award was announced, t-shirts went on sale starting at $20 featuring the Wolverines starting offensive line next to the huge trophy. The newly announced NIL deal will ensure that the Wolverines offensive line unit will receive 100% of net t-shirt sales, with a portion also going toward charitable cause.
The Joe Moore Award will also match the charitable gift all the way up to $10,000, in an effort to further the reach of the winning units impact on their communities.
This is a really creative approach from those running the Joe Moore Award finding a way to fully utilize new NIL guidelines that is sure to have ripple effects moving forward for college football.
See the full release on the news via this link.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.