Joe Moore Award Announces Extension With DonJoy
Prestigious award celebrates 10th anniversary, adds four new voting members
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - The Joe Moore Award, awarded annually to college football’s most outstanding offensive line unit, has announced the extension of its innovative partnership with medical technology growth company Enovis Corporation, as its DonJoy® brand will continue its sponsorship of the prestigious award. The three-year sponsorship extension is made possible thanks to the Joe Moore Award’s ongoing relationship with The Brandr Group (TBG), which represents the award by fostering and managing sales and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) partnerships.
Additionally, as part of the sponsorship, Aaron Taylor, the executive director of the Foundation for Teamwork and the co-founder of the Award, will serve as a brand ambassador for DonJoy. Taylor, who was a two-time All-American offensive lineman at Notre Dame and Super Bowl winner in the NFL, is a college football studio analyst for CBS Sports, and proudly wore DonJoy knee braces throughout his playing career.
Since its inception, the The Joe Moore Award has focused on an “I am Because of Us” mantra as well as doing things differently within the major college football award landscape. It wasn’t an accident that The Joe Moore Award was the first major college football award to embrace NIL opportunities for the award winners. This sponsorship with Don Joy and the partnership with The Brandr Group has elevated its impact in the NIL space. It helped to lay the groundwork for multiple partners to engage with the Joe Moore Award, establishing it as a trendsetter in embracing the potential of NIL to benefit its honorees, while also recognizing the value of teamwork.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this season, the Joe Moore Award is the only major college football award to honor a group of players rather than a singular student-athlete, and each season it recognizes the toughest, most physical offensive line in the country. Last year, Washington was named the recipient of the award, earning the honor out of a crowded and talented collection of semifinalists, including Florida State, Georgia, Kansas State, LSU, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oregon State, Tennessee and Texas.
“What makes the Joe Moore Award so special is that it puts the honor and glory on the entire offensive line unit, which is representative of the role teamwork plays in the success of any college football program,” said Taylor. “It’s great to have steadfast partners like DonJoy and The Brandr Group who recognize the value of collaboration and cooperation, and who are willing to help us push the envelope and build something that is unprecedented in the college awards space. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Joe Moore Award, I’m excited for the new college football season as we seek to honor the best offensive line unit in the country once again.”
The Joe Moore Award also is proud to announce the addition of four new members to its voting committee:
Greg Hudson served as an offensive line graduate assistant for Joe Moore at Notre Dame in the early 1990s before embarking on a successful career coaching on both sides of the ball, including stints as defensive coordinator at Notre Dame and Purdue.
Eric Mac Lain is a studio analyst on the ACC Network’s The Huddle and is a former All-ACC offensive lineman for the Clemson Tigers, where he was a part of two conference championship winning teams.
Steve Shankweiler is a seasoned expert in offensive line play, and brings over four decades of coaching experience at the Division I level. Currently the Director of High School and Alumni Relations at ECU, his tenure coaching the Pirates’ offensive line led East Carolina to some of its most productive seasons.
Brandon Thorn is the editor of Trench Warfare, one of the most well-read newsletters focusing on the play of offensive and defensive linemen. It has earned acclaim from NFL scouts, studio analysts and college football coaches.
Hudson, Mac Lain, Shankweiler, and Thorn join Chairman Cole Cubelic (Auburn, SEC Network); Charles Arbuckle (UCLA, Indianapolis Colts); Randy Cross (UCLA, San Francisco 49ers); Mike Golic, Jr. (Notre Dame, ESPN); Duke Manyweather (Humboldt State, player and coach, founder of OL Masterminds); Geoff Schwartz (Oregon, Carolina Panthers); Phil Steele (publisher of Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, ESPN); Aaron Taylor (Notre Dame, Green Bay Packers); and Lance Zierlein (NFL draft analyst, NFL.com).
In all, the Joe Moore Award voting committee is composed of 13 individuals who are highly knowledgeable about offensive line play, including former linemen, O-line coaches, NFL talent evaluators and highly qualified media analysts. This group conducts in-depth analysis by reviewing game tape every week of the season to assess both the fundamentals and subtleties of overall offensive line performance. In addition to the full season of film evaluation, a review of advanced data and analytics provided by Sports Info Solutions is conducted after the conference championship games are completed.
Last year’s award announcements generated 20,000 media mentions during the football season, which is an ad equivalency value of $252.87 million. As an official partner, DonJoy will be developing custom content highlighting the partnership and the student-athletes via social media channels including Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube.
Nearly all college football teams use DonJoy products, and more than 95 percent of Division I linemen trust the DonJoy Defiance® knee brace to help prevent injury. This sponsorship further demonstrates DonJoy’s already robust dedication to college football and highlights the critical role DonJoy products play in enhancing athletes’ stability and support to help them consistently perform at their best.
In addition to Washington, past recipients of the Joe Moore Award include the offensive lines of the University of Alabama (2015), the University of Iowa (2016), the University of Notre Dame (2017), Oklahoma University (2018), LSU (2019), the University of Alabama (2020 - first repeat winner), and the University of Michigan (2021 and 2022 – the first back-to-back winner).
Joe Moore Award Credo
Teamwork. It’s what defines football as a sport, and it is displayed in its greatest glory – in its most profound necessity – in the play of the offensive line. For it is there that individual achievement only matters if the entire unit is performing. When we execute together, great things happen. But if one player missteps, the rest of the team pays the price. That idea – along with hard work and the willingness to strive to be your best – embodies what Coach Joe Moore instilled in his players.
But it’s about more than football. It’s about how we live our lives, how we contribute to society, how we participate in the realization of great things. Teamwork is a bond. It’s a promise. And it’s a commitment to put the greater good above ourselves. It’s the greatest form of individual achievement because it requires total sacrifice – of focus, of effort, of ego. The road to success requires an unwavering commitment to purpose that creates an unbreakable bond between each of us. And it makes that success one of the greatest achievements on the planet.
About the Joe Moore Award
The Joe Moore Award is named after Joe Moore, widely regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in college football history, most notably for his work at Notre Dame and the University of Pittsburgh. Coach Moore sent 52 players on to the NFL, including Bill Fralic, Mark May, Russ Grimm, Jimbo Covert and others. The Joe Moore Award trophy, crafted by legendary sports sculptor Jerry McKenna, is the largest trophy in college football, standing at a height of 7 feet and weighing in at over 800 pounds. The perpetual trophy is made available for display by the winning university until the conclusion of the following college football season.
About The Foundation for Teamwork
The Foundation for Teamwork is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering teamwork in all societal endeavors and bringing that spirit of collective achievement to athletics, education, and organizations.
About The Brandr Group
The Brandr Group (TBG) has emerged as the leading marketing agency in the college NIL group licensing and brand activation program space, with group NIL rights for more than 20,000 student-athletes at more than 100 universities and colleges, including more than 60% of the Power Four schools. TBG partners with prominent brands, sponsors, corporate trademarks, and events to cultivate, diversify and monetize intellectual property of athletes and schools through professional brand management and licensing endeavors. For more information, please visit tbgusa.com or email us at GroupRights@tbgusa.com.
About Enovis
Enovis Corporation (NYSE: ENOV) is an innovation-driven medical technology growth company dedicated to developing clinically differentiated solutions that generate measurably better patient outcomes and transform workflows. Powered by a culture of continuous improvement, global talent and innovation, the Company’s extensive range of products, services and integrated technologies fuels active lifestyles in orthopedics and beyond. For more information about the DonJoy Defiance® knee brace or Enovis, please visit www.enovis.com.
Learn More or Follow Us
Find out more at joemooreaward.com and follow the Joe Moore Award on Twitter (@joemooreaward), Instagram (@joemooreaward), and Facebook (facebook.com/JoeMooreAward).
To learn more about partnership opportunities with the Joe Moore Award, please contact Chris Marciani, head of brand marketing partnerships with The Brandr Group at chris.marciani@tbgusa.com.
For media inquiries, please contact Johnathan McGinty at johnathan@trestlecollective.com.