NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. – The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has named four finalists for the 10th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy.
They are: Anthony Barr (UCLA), Chris Borland (Wisconsin), Devon Kennard (USC) and James Morris (Iowa).
A National Voter Panel of more than 200 former college coaches, players, members of the media and past winners of the Lott IMPACT Trophy determined the finalists. The winner of the award will be announced at the annual banquet Dec. 8 at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach.
The school of the winner will receive $25,000 for its general scholarship fund with each of the runner-ups receiving $5,000 for their universities.
The four finalists were judged on both their performance on the field and their character off the field. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott will be the keynote speaker at the banquet, which will be televised live by FOX Sports at 7 p.m. Pacific time.
THE 2013 LOTT IMPACT TROPHY FINALISTS:
Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA
Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin
Devon Kennard, DE, USC
James Morris, LB, Iowa
A LOOK AT THE FINALISTS:
Anthony Barr, UCLA (8-3)
Linebacker Senior, 6-4, 235, San Pedro
Performance: 17 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 57 tackles, 4 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles; Lott IMPACT POW Week III/ Bednarik, Butkus semi-finalist/Unanimous mid-season All-America teams
Character: Honorable mention all-conference academic team/Participates in many UCLA community activities such as youth programs and outreach programs/”He really pays attention to details,” UCLA Defensive Coordinator Lou Spanos said. “He loves the game, he studies and he prepares himself.”
Chris Borland Wisconsin, (9-2)
Linebacker Senior, 5-11, 248, Kettering, Ohio
Performance: 92 tackles, among the leaders in the country, 4th in Big Ten/8 TFL, 4 sacks, one quarterback hurry and 5 passes defended/His 14 career forced fumbles, an NCAA record/Bednarik, Butkus semifinalist
Character: Finalist for Senior Class Award (community, classroom, character, competition)/Will graduate in December with degree in history (3.0 gpa)/Has logged 110 hours of community service/“He’s got the most important quality that overcomes any of the measurables where he might be lacking (he’s listed at 5-11)— that’s the ability to make plays. He’s got a great burst, he has instincts, he’s got all of the tools necessary to be successful.” – Former Ohio State All-American Chris Spielman. . “Chris is, without question, one of the most compassionate, driven and goal-oriented student-athletes I have worked with in my tenure at Wisconsin” Kayla Gross, Wisconsin Community Relations
Devon Kennard USC, (9-3)
Defensive End/Linebacker Senior, 6-3, 260, Phoenix
Performance: Lott IMPACT POW Week I/8 sacks (2nd in Pac-12)/ 50 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, one fumble recovery, 8 quarterback hurries, 4 passes broken up/Mid-season All-Pac 12/Team Captain
Character: Grad student (graduated in three years) with a 3.88 GPA, twice on Pac-12 All-Academic team/Masters thesis on college recruiting/Heavily involved in volunteer work (trip to Haiti, hospital visits, feeding the homeless)/”He’s almost like a coach on the field right now for us.” USC Head Coach Ed Orgeron. “Most important to me above all else is Devon’s character. He always has been a pleasure to work with in every situation. His demeanor and study habits are second to none. Because of this Devon has earned the respect of teammates, coaches, professors, and others. He has been a great leader for not only the football team and other student athletes, but all students on campus” – John Mosbach, Assistant Athletic Director, USC/“His business plan he developed is a comprehensive approach for setting up a charitable foundation to assist underprivileged youth through summer football camps.” – Stuart Hayden, COO, Power Direct Energy
James Morris, Iowa (7-4)
Linebacker Senior, 6-2, 230, Solon, Iowa
Performance: Lott POW Week IX/89 tackles, 3 interceptions, 11.5 tackles for losses, 4 passes defended, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, 4 sacks/382 career tackles/Captain of team as both junior and senior/Mid-season All-Big Ten
Character: 3.82 GPA; academic all Big Ten/Five times on Iowa Dean’s List/National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete/”If you want to create the ideal student-athlete for a college football team, it would be James Morris” – Iowa Linebacker Coach LeVar Woods/Awarded the Hayden Fry ‘Extra Heartbeat’ Award voted upon by his teammates/“The guy works extremely hard on the practice field. He’s unbelievable in terms of his preparation away from the field, away from the building. He’s a great leader, just a great role model to be on the football team. Scary smart student on top of it. Yet he’s a normal guy. I think that’s why he’s able to be a leader.”Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz.
Former winners of the Lott IMPACT Trophy:
2004 – David Pollack, DE, Georgia
2005 – DeMeco Ryans, LB, Alabama
2006 – Dante Hughes, DB, Cal
2007 – Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
2008 – James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State
2009 – Jerry Hughes, DE, TCU
2010 – J.J. Watt, DT, Wisconsin
2011 – Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
2012 – Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame
