Houston, TX (November 2, 2022) - The Rotary Lombardi Award®, in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Houston, is pleased to announce the 12 players who will compete for this year’s coveted award. The Rotary Lombardi Award® goes annually to the college football offensive or defensive lineman, who in addition to outstanding performance and ability, best exemplifies the character and discipline of NFL Hall of Fame Head Coach Vince Lombardi.
The Twelve Semi-Finalists are as follows.
• Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
• Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State
• Brock Bowers, Georgia
• Jack Campbell, Iowa
• Jalen Carter, Georgia
• Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
• Olu Oluwatimi, Michigan
• John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota
• Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
• O'Cyrus Torrence, Florida
• Tuli Tuipulotu, USC
• Darnell Wright, Tennessee
Photo: Getty Images
Alabama's junior outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. is a dominant force in the SEC and ranks first in the conference, and is tied for seventh in the nation in tackles for loss with 12 for 49 yards, also contributing six sacks.
Kansas State's junior defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah has consistently had strong performances this season. He's registered at least half a TFL in seven of the eight games and has also been credited with at least a half-sack in six games.
Georgia’s sophomore tight end Brock Bowers has solidified his position as one of the best tight ends in college football. After a freshman year that put the country on notice he has continued to perform well notching an overall PFF grade of 85.6 and a blocking grade of 80.2.
Iowa's senior linebacker Jack Campbell leads the Big Ten with 82 tackles and ranks 11th nationally at 10.3 tackles per game, adding to his 259 career tackles.
Georgia's junior defensive tackle Jalen Carter has caused havoc in opposing teams' backfields. He entered 2022 as a top 5 NFL Draft selection and has backed those claims up.
Ohio State's junior offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. has been regarded as a top prospect regardless of position since high school, where 247Sports ranked him 1st at the OT position. He has proven himself since in the FBS' top-ranked offense.
Michigan's senior center Olu Oluwatimi has started each of the last four seasons at center with 40 straight starts and was one of three Rimington Trophy finalists in 2021 while at Virginia before transferring to Michigan in the post season.
Minnesota's senior center John Michael Schmitz is currently graded as the top center in the nation by PFF and has led the Gopher offense to three 500+ yard games this season alone.
Northwestern's junior offensive tackle Peter Skoronski was a preseason first-team AP All-American and considered one of the top OTs on the 2023 NFL Draft board. He was named PFF Offensive Player of the Week after allowing no sacks and leading a rushing attack to 224 yards and two TDs against Nebraska.
Florida's junior guard O'Cyrus Torrence has started in six games this season and blocked for 594 yards and five touchdowns against Tennessee. After transferring from Louisiana during the spring, he has performed at a first-round level.
USC's junior defensive tackle Tuli Tuipulotu is a force to be reckoned with in the trenches. Tuipulotu is tied for 9th in the nation with seven sacks through 8 games and received Pac-12 Defensive Player and Defensive Lineman of the week after a crushing performance against Washington State.
Tennessee's senior offensive tackle Darnell Wright was a consensus five-star recruit coming into college and has 42 career games and 37 starts under his belt - with 22 at right tackle, two at right guard, and 13 at left tackle. He has yet to allow a sack this season in 540 snaps.
The second round of voting for the four finalists will commence on November 4th and the nominees will be revealed on November 17th. The winner will be announced at the live event in Houston, Texas on December 7th.
For additional information, visit www.rotarylombardiaward.org.