NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Tennessee senior defensive back Todd Kelly Jr. has been named to the 2017 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List, which was announced by the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation on Friday.
Kelly is one of 42 student-athletes named to the watch list. The list of the top defensive players in the country includes 17 linebackers, 14 defensive linemen and 11 defensive backs. The Pac-12 Conference has the most players on the Watch List with 10 followed by the ACC with nine, the Big Ten with eight, the SEC with six, the Big 12 with five, the AAC with two and two independents (Notre Dame and Navy).
To date, the Lott IMPACT Trophy has donated more than $1.3 million for various charities throughout the country, including more than $500,000 to universities.
The winner of the 14th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy will be announced at a banquet Dec. 10 at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Ca.
Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Ronnie Lott, The Lott IMPACT Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Founded in 2004 by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The Lott Trophy is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. The Lott Trophy is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation and a distinguished group of former college football head coaches. To date, the Foundation has donated more than $1.1 million to various charities throughout the country. The 14th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy Awards will be held Dec. 10 at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California. For more information on The Lott Trophy visit: www.LottImpactTrophy.org
2017 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List Nominees
Marcus Allen, S, Penn State
Quin Blanding, S, Virginia
Jason Cabinda, LB, Penn State
Sean Chandler, S, Temple
Jack Cichy, LB, Wisconsin
Koron Crump, LB, Arizona State
Duke Ejiofor, DE, Wake Forest
Bryon Fields, CB, Duke
Zaire Franklin, LB, Syracuse
Micah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
Porter Gustin, DE, USC
Brecklyn Hager, DE, Texas
Chase Hansen, S, Utah
Marquis Haynes, DE, Ole Miss
Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State
Josey Jewell, LB, Iowa
Joshua Kalu, S, Nebraska
Todd Kelly Jr., S, Tennessee
Micah Kiser, LB, Virginia
Christian LaCouture, DE, LSU
Harold Landry, DE, Boston College
Tyquan Lewis, DE, Ohio State
Courtney Love, LB, Kentucky
Hercules Mata’afa, DE, Washington State
Derek McCartney, LB, Colorado
Airius Moore, LB, North Carolina State
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, LB, Oklahoma
Ed Oliver, DL, Houston
D.J. Palmore, LB, Navy
Harrison Phillips, DL, Stanford
D.J. Reed, DB, Kansas State
Cameron Saffle, DE, Cal
Tegray Scales, LB, Indiana Cameron Smith, LB, USC
K.J. Smith, DE, Baylor
Ty Summers, LB, TCU
Drue Tranquill, S, Notre Dame
Azeem Victor, LB, Washington
Jordan Whitehead, S, Pitt
Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
Tre Williams, LB, Auburn
Kenny Young, LB, UCLA
Previous Winners of the Lott IMPACT Trophy
2004 – David Pollack, Georgia
2005 – DeMeco Ryans, Alabama
2006 – Dante Hughes, Cal
2007 – Glenn Dorsey, LSU
2008 – James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
2009 – Jerry Hughes, TCU
2010 – J.J. Watt, Wisconsin
2011 – Luke Kuechly, Boston College
2012 – Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
2013 – Anthony Barr, UCLA
2014 – Eric Kendricks, UCLA
2015 – Carl Nassib, Penn State
2016 – Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
-UT Athletics
