Tag: Rotary Lombardi Award

Alabama’s Will Anderson wins the 2022 Rotary Lombardi Award

Will Anderson Jr. continues to bring home the awards!

Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. has had a busy week this week already bringing home the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the Nagurski Trophy. Well, I hope Anderson has plenty of shelf space because now the talented junior has won the 2022 Rotary Lombardi Award.

The Lombardi is given to the player that embodies the values and spirit of the NFL’s legendary Coach Vince Lombardi.

It should come as no surprise that Anderson won the award. Will’s character and passion for the game shine bright each and every time he steps onto the field.

Anderson is quickly becoming one of the most decorated defenders in Crimson Tide history.

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Florida OL O’Cyrus Torrence name a Rotary Lombardi Award semi-finalist

Florida right guard O’Cyrus Torrence is among the best linemen in all of college football, and he’s getting some national recognition for his stellar play.

Florida right guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] is one of 12 semi-finalists for the Rotary Lombardi Award.

After being named to the award’s watchlist in October, Torrence made the cut down from 90 players to just a dozen. He’s been one of, if not, the best offensive guards in the country and has a chance to be Florida’s highest-drafted player when April rolls around. Adding the Rotary Lombardi Award to his trophy case would only boost an already high draft stock.

The Rotary Lombardi Award is given to the college football offensive or defensive lineman who performs at a high level and best exemplifies the character and discipline of Vince Lombardi, according to the website, and has been awarded each year since 1970.

Torrence is the highest-graded guard in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus, making him a strong candidate to make the Final Four for the award. Voting will take place over the next week (until Nov. 14), and the finalists will be announced on Nov. 17. The winner will be presented the award at a ceremony on Dec. 7 that all four finalists will attend.

JACK linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. joined Torrence on the 90-man watchlist, but he has since been dismissed from the team and did not make the most recent cut.

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Two Gators make 2022 Rotary Lombardi Award Watchlist

Florida had a pair of linemen featured on the Rotary Lombardi Award watchlist on Monday.

Florida right guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] and JACK linebacker [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. are among the 90 players who landed on the Rotary Lombardi Award watchlist Monday when the committee released its midseason update.

According to the award’s website, the accolade “goes annually to the college football lineman — offense or defense — who, in addition to outstanding performance and ability, best exemplifies the character and discipline of Vince Lombardi.” A subcommittee of the Rotary Lombardi Award committee compiles the watchlist and includes SID submissions. To be considered for the watchlist, players must also have started at least one game at an NCAA Division 1 college or university.

Torrence is currently on the mend, but he’s been one of the best offensive linemen in all of college football this season. He’s transitioned from the Group of Five to the Power Five seamlessly and has first-round potential if he can stay healthy.

Cox flirted with the draft last year but came back to raise his stock. His personal goal was to break the school’s sack record of 13, but he’s only at two through seven games. Still, Cox has been one of Florida’s best players on defense this year. He has a team-high eight tackles for loss and was named Co-SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after Florida’s win over Utah.

It will take a big run for either Gator to beat out some of the other names on the watchlist, but being recognized is always a positive. Both men should warrant plenty of attention come draft season regardless of how many awards they win.

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Four Notre Dame linemen named to Lombardi Award watch list

The Lombardi Award has quite the interesting recent history.

The Lombardi Award has quite the interesting recent history. Given to the college football lineman who best embodies the late great Vince Lombardi, the award’s eligibility was expanded to all positions from 2017 to 2020. The award reverted to its original eligibility in 2021, and Notre Dame is benefiting from that in 2022. That’s because four Irish players have been named to the watch list for the award.

Not only is the winner the best player at his position, but he also best reflects Lombardi’s character. The Irish undoubtedly are happy that they will go into the season with four chances to net the sixth Lombardi Award in program history. [autotag]Manti Te’o[/autotag] was the Irish’s last winner in 2012, so they definitely are overdue for another one.

The award can be presented to a lineman on either side of the ball, and since tight ends also can be blockers, they are eligible for the award, too. Keep that in mind as we look at the Irish players on the list:

Iowa’s Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta named to Rotary Lombardi Award watch list

Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell and tight end Sam LaPorta were named to the 2022 Rotary Lombardi Award watch list.

Preseason watch list season rolls along with a duo of Iowa Hawkeyes garnering more recognition. Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell and Hawkeyes tight end Sam LaPorta were both named to the preseason Rotary Lombardi Award watch list.

To be considered for the Rotary Lombardi Award, a player must be a down lineman, end to end, either on offense or defense, setting up no further than 10 yards to the left or the right of the ball at the time of the snap; be a linebacker on defense, setting up no further than five 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 or receiver.

After registering 143 tackles, eight passes defensed, 3.5 tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions last season, Campbell made the 78-player watch list. Again, he is joined by teammate LaPorta who led the Hawkeyes in receptions and receiving yards with 53 grabs and 670 yards in 2021.

Campbell is a preseason first-team All-America selection by Phil Steele, and he’s been named to plenty of other watch lists as well. Both Campbell and Riley Moss were named to the Bednarik Award watch list, the Nagurski Trophy watch list and the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list.

Campbell was also named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List, he was picked as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by the Big Ten media, and has found himself as one of the top projected 2023 NFL draft picks at the linebacker position.

LaPorta brings back with him the most returning yards by a tight end to a Power 5 program. Similar to Campbell, LaPorta is projected as one of the top NFL draft picks at his position. He was listed by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. as the No. 2 tight end on his most recent 2023 NFL draft board. LaPorta was also recently named to the John Mackey Award watch list.

Fellow Big Ten stars that join both Campbell and LaPorta on the Rotary Lombardi Award’s preseason watch list include the following players: Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski; Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz; Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr.; Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand Jones; Ohio State defensive end Zach Harrison; Michigan center Olu Oluwatimi; Michigan State defensive tackle Jacob Slade; Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher; and Wisconsin outside linebacker Nick Herbig.

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Six Notre Dame players earn spot on Senior Bowl Watch List

Who could be headed to Mobile after the season?

The Senior Bowl always is a big deal for players who have just finished their eligibility to play college football. It often serves as a major showcase for any player hoping to get drafted by the NFL only a few months later. While we obviously have no clue who will be going to the 2022 game at this point, it’s fun to look at the players who have a chance. This year’s Senior Bowl Watch List has been released, and six Notre Dame players are on it: