2013 Preseason Award Projections: Lombardi Award

By Charlie Campbell
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Heading into the 2013 college football season, WalterFootball.com will debut our projections for the nation’s leaders during the fall. The All-American teams always have some surprises, and this coming fall’s stars could be the headline players next April for the 2014 NFL Draft. We also will project the winners of the postseason awards that are given out to the best of college football.

The Lombardi Award is given to the top offensive linemen, defensive linemen, tight end or linebacker in college football. Last year’s winner was Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly.

Lombardi Trophy Winner:

Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA

Barr had perhaps the most shocking breakout performance of any college football player last season. He had little impact at fullback as a freshman and sophomore, catching a grand total of 12 receptions. Barr dominated the Pac-12 in a breakout 2012 campaign after his position change. The junior collected 13 sacks, 83 tackles, 21.5 tackles for a loss, five passes batted and four forced fumbles. His sack total was the second largest in the nation behind only Georgia’s Jarvis Jones. Jim Mora, Jr. and his staff deserve a lot of credit for making the position change.

There is no doubt that Barr will be a marked man in the Pac-12 in 2013. Offenses will be aiming to stop him and it wouldn’t be surprising if they constantly send double-teams his direction. However, Mora has a good coaching staff who probably will move Barr around to try to get him single-blocked. Plus, the Bruins have a good supporting cast in the front seven with defensive lineman Cassius Marsh and linebacker Eric Kendricks.

It is obvious that Barr has elite speed and athleticism. He has a lightning first-step and burst off the snap. Barr accelerates in an instant with fantastic closing speed. If the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder has added some bulk to his frame and developed his pass-rushing moves, he could be an unstoppable force in 2013 with his year of experience under his belt.

There are a lot of great players eligible for the Lombardi Award. The reason why Barr is my projection is because he has everything going for him to have a massive season. First of all, Barr has dominating talent to rack up big production. He is a young, ascending player who is capable of putting up massive totals. The senior also has a good supporting cast to help him reach his potential. Other players like Notre Dame’s Louis Nix could be disruptive and dominant without much of a stat line, while South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney will see tons of extra blocking without as good of a supporting cast to help him overcome the extra attention. Barr could produce a monster season.




Lombardi Runner-Up:

Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina

The Lombardi has a tendency to go to high-profile players, and there is no defensive prospect in the nation who is in the spotlight as much as Clowney. As far as physical talent goes, Clowney is probably the most gifted of any player in college football. The former No. 1 recruit in the nation showed his rare physical skill set in route to being the SEC Freshman of the Year and a Second-Team All-SEC selection in 2011. He totaled 36 tackles with eight sacks, 12 tackles for a loss and five forced fumbles in his debut.

Clowney was one of the best players in college football last year. The sophomore amassed 54 tackles, 23.5 tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles, two passes batted and 13 sacks. Clowney finished sixth for the Heisman Trophy. He was a dominant force for the Gamecocks.

Clowney has a rare skill set with elite speed, strength and athleticism. He has incredible explosion off the snap. Clowney is lightning fast coming off the edge and has natural power to shed blocks. The junior already has a developed arsenal of pass-rushing moves. He also seems to have the ability to get some sacks on shear intimidation.

Fortunately for NFL scouts and general managers, Clowney should see some good left tackles this season. That is one of the virtues of playing in the best conference in college football. Tennessee’s Antonio Richardson, Florida’s D.J. Humphries and North Carolina’s James Hurst will all provide nice tests.

The SEC will be focused on stopping Clowney in 2013. Coaches will send frequent double- and triple-teams Clowney’s direction. It wouldn’t be surprising if all the extra attention causes the junior’s sack total to drop into the eight to 10 range. If that is the case, Clowney will still have produced a good season and should go at the top of the 2013 NFL Draft. Still, it may cause him to lose some postseason honors like the Lombardi Award.



Lombardi Dark Horse:

A.J. Johnson, LB, Tennessee

The Lombardi Trophy has recently gone to middle linebackers in the past two years, so that bodes well for Johnson. However, he doesn’t enter the season with as high of a profile as the two previous winners, Luke Kuechly (Boston College) or Manti Te’o (Notre Dame), did. Because Tennessee had a disappointing 2012 season, Johnson went under the radar to a degree even though he was one of the best linebackers in the nation.

Johnson was the rare bright spot on Tennessee’s woeful defense last year. He finished 2012 tied for fifth in the nation with 138 tackles. The sophomore also chipped in 8.5 tackles for a loss, one sack and one pass broken up.

Johnson further showed off his athleticism by serving as the Volunteers’ short-yardage ball carrier. He ran for six touchdowns with 21 yards on 12 carries. Johnson had 81 tackles with a forced fumble as a freshman.

Johnson is athletic, fast and physical. Around Tennessee, he is known as “the beast.” Johnson is extremely aggressive. He hits players with authority and puts ball-carriers into the ground hard.

Johnson enters the season as the top middle linebacker in the SEC and the nation. He plays in a conference that features rushing attacks, so he should rack up a big tackle total as long as he stays healthy. With marquee games against Alabama, Florida and Georgia Johnson will have the stage to command attention and could end up winning the Lombardi Award over some more higher profile players.

Honorable Mentions: Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton, BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy, Alabama offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama outside linebacker C.J. Mosley, Notre Dame defensive tackle Louis Nix, Notre Dame defensive end Stephon Tuitt, UCLA guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, LSU defensive tackle Anthony Johnson, Florida State defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan, Arkansas center Travis Swanson, Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews, Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan, TCU defensive end Devonte Fields, Texas defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, Florida defensive end Dominique Easley, Florida State linebacker Christian Jones, Tennessee offensive tackle Antonio Richardson, North Carolina offensive tackle James Hurst, Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla, North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron, South Florida defensive end Aaron Lynch, Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier, Western Kentucky linebacker Andrew Jackson, Oregon State defensive end Scott Crichton, Boise State defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, Baylor guard Cyril Richardson, Notre Dame offensive tackle Zack Martin, Mississippi State guard Gabe Jackson, Georgia Tech defensive end Jeremiah Attaochu, Stanford guard David Yankey and Stanford defensive end Trent Murphy.











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