More Hokies selected to watchlists: Ekanem and Teller honored

Another day, another release of national award watchlists - with Virginia Tech well represented. Fifth-year senior defensive end Ken Ekanem makes the cut for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, while redshirt junior offensive lineman Wyatt Teller is on the list for the Outland Trophy.

Ekanem redshirted as a freshman out of Centreville (Va.) High School, and played sparingly in his first season on the field. However, he has started every game the past two seasons for the Hokies, and been one of the impact players on Bud Foster's defense. In 2014, he had his best year so far, notching 9.5 sacks among his 14.5 tackles for loss and hurrying the opposing quarterback 19 times. Last fall, he made 39 total tackles, 9.5 of them for loss including 4.5 sacks. He also forced a pair of fumbles.

Teller was recruited as a defensive end out of Bealeton (Va.) Liberty, but transitioned to offensive line where he's played in every game the past two seasons with 18 starts between the years. Last season, the Hokies' offensive line struggled to 3.8 yards per carry while allowing 34 sacks, but the return of Teller and several talented linemates should help them improve in the first year under new headman Justin Fuente.

Ekanem and Teller join a number of their teammates on national watchlists.

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