Houston, TX (August 15, 2023) - The Lombardi Award™, in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Houston, is pleased to announce the 80 players who will compete for this year’s coveted award. The Lombardi Award™ goes annually to the college football offensive or defensive lineman who exemplifies the character and discipline of NFL Hall of Fame Head Coach Vince Lombardi in addition to outstanding performance and ability.
This year’s watch list is filled with talent from many schools and conferences, making for an exciting voting process. To be considered for the Lombardi Award™, players must be an NCAA FBS College Football team member and meet the following qualifications:
· Be a down Lineman, end to end, either on offense or defense, setting up no further than ten (10) yards to the left or right of the ball at the time of the snap.
· Be a Linebacker on defense, setting up no further than five (5) yards deep from the line of scrimmage.
· Must not come out of the offensive backfield and set up on the line of scrimmage as a Blocker or a Receiver or listed in the program as an Offensive Back or Receiver.
· Be eligible to participate in the current season.
The voting process will follow this schedule.
· October 18 - 30, 2023: Vote to determine Semi-finalists.
· November 1, 2023: Semi-finalists announcement
· November 2 - 13, 2023: Vote to determine Four Finalists
· November 15, 2023: Four Finalists announcement
· November 17 – December 4, 2023: Final vote to determine the winner.
· December 6, 2023: Lombardi Award™ Winner announced.
A mid-season watch list will be released on Oct 13 to reflect any updates to the current list.
Introducing the 2023 Lombardi Award™ Watchlist – a compilation of standout linemen from across college football. This list is meticulously assembled by a subcommittee of the Lombardi Award™ committee, with a keen eye on players' previous performances and potential for the upcoming 2023 college football season. Athletes must have participated in at least one NCAA Division I college or university game to merit inclusion.
In this edition, all ten Division-I FBS conferences and a few Independents are represented in the 80-player watch list, fostering anticipation for an electrifying season of gridiron action. The SEC and the Big Ten Conference are poised for success, boasting a combined 33 selections. Twelve players hold spots on this watch list from the previous season's College Football Playoff teams alone– Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Texas Christian University.
The Big Ten is represented by players from Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin. The Big Ten showcases figures like J.T. Tuimoloau, Olumuyiwa Fashanu, and Brevyn Spann-Ford. Tuimoloau, a remarkable defensive end from Ohio State, emerged as a true game-changer last year with a blend of sacks, interceptions, and versatile play. Tuimoloau is joined by teammates Donovan Jackson, Michael Hall Jr., and Tommy Eichenberg, supporting another explosive season for the Buckeyes. Penn State's offensive tackle Fashanu is projected to be one of the first offensive tackles off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft and has the size and skills to lead the Nittany Lions' offense to success in 2023. Minnesota’s Brevyn Spann-Ford has played lights out, is at the top of many draft boards and he is expected to lead the Gophers this season.
Georgia strongly represents the SEC, with five players selected to our watch list, highlighted by our 2022 Finalist Brock Bowers. He was a dominant force for the Bulldogs in 2022, recording top 10 PFF blocking grades and 63 catches for 942 yards and seven touchdowns. Georgia's other selections are Sedrick Van Pran (OC), Tate Ratledge (OG), Jamon Dumas-Johnson (LB), and Mykel Williams (DE). Fellow SEC powerhouse Alabama joins Georgia with two players; J.C. Latham is a two-year starter at the offensive tackle position; he's a physical blocker with excellent pass protection abilities. He will be vital to the Crimson Tide's success in 2023. He is joined on the watchlist by teammate Dallas Turner, a rising star on the Alabama defense. Turner had 37 tackles, 8 for loss, and four sacks 2022. He is a versatile linebacker who can play in space or the trenches.
The Pac-12 is well represented with 11 players from Arizona, California - Berkeley, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, USC, Utah, and Washington. The Washington Huskies is led by pre-season first-team All-Americans (Phil Steele and Walter Camp), defensive end Bralen Trice. He had nine sacks in 2022 and is a mauler for opponents. He is projected to be a top-10 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Representing Oregon as defensive end Brandon Dorlus, his 88 QB pressures over the last two years lead all returning Power Five edge defenders. Another top defensive end prospect joins them, UCLA's Laiatu Latu, one of the most productive edge defenders in the country. Among Power Five edge defenders, Latu was tied for second in pressures (64), third in pressure rate (21.7%), and tied for third in sacks (12).
The Big 12 brings back a few players on the previous year's watchlist, Kansas State's Cooper Beebe (OG) and West Virginia's Zach Frazier (OC). Beebe has started 35 career games for the Wildcats and has not surrendered a sack in his last 803 pass-blocking plays dating back to the 2020 Iowa State contest, according to Pro Football Focus. Zach Frazier has been one of the most consistent centers in college football and is expected to be one of the first from his position selected for the 2024 NFL Draft. The Big 12 also has selections from Cincinnati, Kansas, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, and Texas Tech.
Two of our most anticipated selections are projected to be top picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Notre Dame's Joe Alt is a two-year starter at the tackle position on the elite Irish offensive line. He is a physical blocker with impressive pass protection abilities; he is projected to be a top-5 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Another top NFL prospect is Florida State's Jared Verse. Verse is a versatile defender who can play defensive end or outside linebacker. He had five sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in 2022. He is a disruptive pass rusher with abilities that track well for quick opportunities for playing time in the NFL in 2024.
By Conference: Big Ten (19), SEC (14), Big 12 (12), Pac-12 (11), ACC (11), American (4), Sun Belt (4), Independent (2), MAC (1), Mountain West (1)
Full List sorted alphabetically:
Jaylon Allen, Memphis, Gr., DL
Joe Alt, Notre Dame, Jr., OT
Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas, So., OT
Jaishawn Barham, Maryland, So., LB
Graham Barton, Duke, Sr., OT
Cooper Beebe, Kansas State, Sr., OG
Brock Bowers, Georgia, Jr., TE
Jacob Busic, Navy, Sr., DE
Barrett Carter, Clemson, Jr., LB
DeWayne Carter, Duke, Rs. Sr., DT
Abdul Carter, Penn State, So., LB
Brandon Coleman, TCU, Sr., OT
Junior Colson, Michigan, Jr., LB
Marley Cook, Middle Tennessee, Rs. Jr., DT
Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati, Rs. So., DL
Tyler Davis, Clemson, Gr., DT
Justin Dedich, USC, Rs. Sr., OC
Brandon Dorlus, Oregon, Sr., DE
Ethan Downs, Oklahoma, Jr., DE
Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia, Jr., LB
Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State, Gr., LB
D'Mitri Emmanuel, Florida State, Rs. Sr., OG
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn State, Jr., OT
Troy Fautanu, Washington, Jr., OT
Jaylan Ford, Texas, Sr., LB
Javon Foster, Missouri, Gr., OT
Zach Frazier, West Virginia, Jr., OC
Tailese Fuaga, Oregon State, Jr., OG
Dallas Gant, Toledo, Sr., LB
AJ Gillie, Louisana, Rs. Jr., OG
Delmar Glaze, Maryland, Rs. Jr., OT
Cedric Gray, North Carolina, Sr., LB
Michael Hall Jr., Ohio State, Jr., DT
Christian Haynes, UConn, Rs. Sr., OG
Jason Henderson, Old Dominion, Jr, LB
Branson Hickman, SMU, Jr., OC
Jaylon Hutchings, Texas Tech, Gr., DL
Nick Jackson, Iowa, Sr., LB
Donovan Jackson, Ohio State, Jr., OG
McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M, Sr, DT
Kris Jenkins, Michigan, Sr., DT
Michael Jurgens, Wake Forest, Rs. Sr., OG
JT Killen, Coastal Carolina, Rs. Sr., LB
J.C. Latham, Alabama, Jr., OT
Laiatu Latu, UCLA, Sr., DE
Beaux Limmer, Arkansas, Rs. Sr., OT
Christian Mahogany, Boston College, Gr., OG
Jonah Monheim, USC, Rs. Jr., OT
Jordan Morgan, Arizona, Sr., OT
Gabriel Murphy, UCLA, Rs. Jr., DE
Jer'Zhan Newton, Illinois, Jr., DT
Maema Njongmeta, Wisconsin, Rs. Sr., LB
Mike Novitsky, Kansas, Rs. Sr., OC
Drake Nugent, Michigan, Gr., OC
Thor Paglialong, Air Force, Sr., OC
Josh Pearcy, Rice, Rs. Jr., DE
Harold Perkins, LSU, So., LB
Owen Porter, Marshall, Rs Sr, DE
Keith Randolph Jr., Illinois, Jr., DT
Tate Ratledge, Georgia, Jr., OG
Luke Reimer, Nebraska, Sr., LB
Chop Robinson, Penn State, Jr., DE
Ja'Tavion Sanders, Texas, Jr., TE
Jackson Sirmon, California - Berkley, Rs. Sr., LB
Brevyn Spann-Ford, Minnesota, Gr., TE
Kingsley Suamataia, BYU, So., OT
Junior Tafuna, Utah, Jr., DT
Bralen Trice, Washington, Sr., DE
Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson, Jr., LB
JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State, Jr., DE
Dallas Turner, Alabama, Jr., LB
Princely Umanmielen, Florida, Jr. ,DE
Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia, Rs. So., OC
Jared Verse, Florida State, Rs. Jr., DE
Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State, Gr., LB
Marlowe Wax, Syracuse, Jr., LB
Damonic Williams, TCU, So., DT
Mykel Williams, Georgia, So., DL
Mekhi Wingo, LSU, Jr., DT
Zak Zinter, Michigan, Sr., OG
Just weeks after Coach Vince Lombardi’s 1970 death from colon cancer, the Rotary Club of Houston was authorized by Lombardi’s widow, Marie, to establish the Lombardi Award™. As stipulated by Mrs. Lombardi, net proceeds from the Award’s activities are contributed to Cancer Research and specifically the American Cancer Society’s programs.
For additional information, visit www.lombardiaward.org.