2018 Preseason Award Projections: Lott IMPACT Trophy

By Charlie Campbell
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Heading into the 2018 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 the next fall’s stars could be the headline players next April for the 2019 NFL Draft. We also will project the winners of the postseason awards that are given out to the best of college football.

The Lott IMPACT Trophy is given to the top “defensive impact” player of the year in college football. Last year’s winner was Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell.

Lott IMPACT Trophy Winner:

Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State

The Lott Trophy has a big inclination toward linebackers. A linebacker has won the award in four out of the last six years. In this decade, the award has gone to a non-linebacker with Carl Nassib, J.J. Watt and Jabrill Peppers. Over the last 12 years, only five times has the award gone to a non-linebacker. The Lott Trophy also hasn’t gone to a player from the SEC in over 10 years. LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey was the last SEC player to win the award in 2007.

Given the recent history of the award, I’m thinking of linebackers and players from the Big Ten as that combination has won it for three straight years. In 2015, Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib won the Lott Trophy, so I think the award voters could go back to a Big Ten defensive end with Bose, who I think Bosa is going to have a huge season.

Like his older brother, Nick Bosa looks like an elite edge defender. He is fast off the edge with the ability fire by tackles to get upfield. Bosa has excellent hands with functional strength to fight off blocks, a burst to close, and puts quarterbacks down hard. In the ground game, Bosa is solid, but his pass rush potential is also impressive.

Bosa had 34 tackles, 8.5 sacks, two passes batted and one forced fumble in 2017. He was the Buckeyes’ best defensive end even though he rotated with Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis and Jalyn Holmes. Bosa could explode as a junior as that trio left for the NFL and he should play a much higher volume of snaps in 2018. That could lead to him putting together a massive season and winning a ton of postseason awards, including the Lott Trophy.




Lott IMPACT Trophy Runner-Up:

T.J. Edwards, LB, Wisconsin

Having a Big Ten linebacker as a finalist makes a lot of sense, and Edwards could be the best linebacker in the classic conference this fall. He is an instinctive defender who is a physical presence in the tackle box. He also is dangerous in zone coverage, consistently putting himself in position to make plays on the ball. As a junior, Edwards recorded 81 tackles with 11 for a loss, two sacks, seven breakups and four interceptions. In 2016, he had 89 tackles with three interceptions, 8.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks and two passes batted. He totaled 84 tackles with four breakups as a freshman. Edwards is a safe bet to a top contender for the the Lott Trophy, but I’m not sure his tackle total will be big enough to take home the award.




Lott IMPACT Trophy Dark Horse:

Devin White, LB, LSU

White was perhaps the best linebacker in college football last year, which is saying something considering Georgia’s Roquan Smith and Virginia Tech’s Tremaine Edmunds were top-25 picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. White had an excellent 2017 season, totaling 133 tackles with 14 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, three passes broken up and one interception. He didn’t get the attention of other SEC linebackers like Smith and Rashaan Evans, but that should change this fall. Here is how one of the National scouts summarized White, “This kid could end up being similar to Ray Lewis. I’d take White over any of the linebackers [from the 2018 NFL Draft] – Smith, Evans, Edmunds.” White is a favorite to rack up another huge season of production, and that could earn him a lot of hardware, including the Lott Trophy if they give more consideration to players from the SEC.

Honorable Mentions: Clemson LB Tre Lamar, Michigan LB Devin Bush, Vanderbilt LB Charles Wright, Alabama LB Mack Wilson, USC LB Cameron Smith, Notre Dame LB Te’Von Coney, N.C. State LB Germaine Pratt, Michigan State LB Joe Bachie, Marshall LB Juwon Youngand, and Miami LB Shaq Quarterman.

Boston College DE Zach Allen, Florida State DE Brian Burns, Clemson DE Clelin Ferrell, Miami DE Joe Jackson, Mississippi State DE Montez Sweat, Clemson DE Austin Bryant, Florida DE CeCe Jefferson, Old Dominion DE Oshane Ximines, Wyoming DE Carl Granderson, USC DE Porter Gustin, TCU DE Ben Banogu, USC DE Christian Rector, Iowa DE Anthony Nelson, Notre Dame DE Daelin Hayes, Penn State DE Shareef Miller, Louisiana Tech DE Jaylon Ferguson and Florida DE Jabari Zuniga.











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