Simon named semifinalist for Lott IMPACT Trophy – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 10, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State junior defensive lineman John Simon is among eight semifinalists for the annual Lott IMPACT Trophy, which was announced by the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation.
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Simon has 10.0 TFL in the past four games and 5.0 sacks in his last three. Last Saturday vs. Indiana Simon recorded career highs with eight solo tackles and 10 total tackles vs. Indiana. His 3.0 TFLs vs. the Hoosiers were for minus 11 yards. Simon leads the Buckeyes with 12.5 TFLs this season (-53 yards) and six quarterback sacks, numbers that rank tied for fourth and tied for second, respectively, in the Big Ten Conference.
Simon has 39 total tackles, three pass breakups and thee passes defended. The Big Ten defensive player of the week Oct. 17, Simon also was named the Lott IMPACT player of the week and the College Football Performance Award’s national defensive lineman of the week for his performance against Illinois. In that game he recorded 8.0 tackles, including a career-high 4.0 TFL in Ohio State’s 17-7 win. The 4.0 TFL were one off the school record.
2011 Lott Semifinalists
Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
Brodrick Brown, DB, Oklahoma State
Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska
Dont’a Hightower, LB, Alabama
Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
Chase Minnifield, DB, Virginia
John Simon, DL, Ohio State
Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame
Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, the Lott Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Now in its eighth year, the Lott Trophy is the first college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player.
Sponsored by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation in Newport Beach, the award is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
