Kekaula Kaniho, Demonte Meeks Named To Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List

The Boise State defensive back and Air Force linebacker are among 43 athletes on the off-season’s first watch list.

Where character and production matter equally.

College football watch list season began in earnest today with the reveal of athletes to follow for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is given annually to the defensive player who best exemplifies the award’s titular acronym: integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community, and tenacity. Two players from the Mountain West were among 43 recognized for their work on the field and in the classroom.

Boise State’s Kekaula Kaniho emerged last year as a valuable piece in a seasoned secondary, primarily by holding down the nickelback spot, but he was the only one in the unit to earn first-team all-conference honors after collecting 61 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, and seven passes defended. He’s also the only returning player in the Mountain West to have been named an Academic All-American in 2019, earning a 3.93 GPA while pursuing a degree in Health Sciences.

Air Force linebacker Demonte Meeks broke out for one of the conference’s stingiest front sevens in 2019, leading the Falcons with a team-high 98 tackles and nine tackles for loss while chipping in four sacks. A civil engineering major at the Academy, Meeks was named an academic All-Mountain West selection after earning a 3.32 GPA that fall.

Last year’s Lott IMPACT Trophy winner was Auburn’s Derrick Brown.

[lawrence-auto-related count=2 category=1360]

[protected-iframe id=”f7652191f99ba13728097498e8a79cd8-137729785-123448869″ info=”https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/show/48681pqFq0kB9dhrtPPoNd” width=”100%” height=”232″ frameborder=”0″]