Just when you thought we were done looking over college football award watch lists, the Rotary Club of Houston released this year’s watch list for the Lombardi Award. And on it were the names of three of Penn State’s top players for the upcoming college football season.
Linebacker [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag], offensive tackle [autotag]Olumuyiwa Fashanu[/autotag], and defensive end [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] were among the players listed on the preseason watch list for the Lombardi Award. The Lombardi Award is presented annually to college football’s top lineman who exemplifies the values and character of former Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi. Linebackers are eligible for the award as well as long as they line up no more than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage.
Fashanu made a somewhat surprising decision to return to Penn State for one more year of college football. Projected by many to be a likely first-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Fashanu’s decision to return was a huge boost for the Penn State offensive line in 2023. Fashanu still projects to be a first-round draft pick in 2024, and some draft analysts believe he could be a high first-round pick.
Fashanu also appears on the watch lists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and the Outland Trophy.
Carter started six games and played in all 13 games for Penn State in 2022. He earned All-Big Ten second-team honors and was a freshman All-American for the FWAA. He led Penn State with 10.5 tackles for loss last season and he finished fourth in the Big Ten with 6.5 sacks last season.
Carter has also appeared on the watch lists for the Bednarik Award, Butkus Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and the Lott IMPACT Trophy.
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Robinson transferred to Penn State from Maryland and he quickly asserted himself as a playmaker on the Penn State defensive line. Robinson appeared in 12 games and recorded 10 tackles for a loss with 5.5 sacks. He earned team defensive player of the week honors three times last season, including in the Rose Bowl against Utah.
Robinson also appears on the watch list for the Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Award.
Penn State has two all-time winners of the Lombardi Award. Defensive tackle Bruce Clark was the first to do so in 1978. Decades later, Carl Nassib became the second Lombardi Award winner in school history.
Last year’s winner of the Lombardi Award was Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was the most recent Big Ten player to win the Lombardi Award, doing so in 2021.
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