Duke Has Two on 2015 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – Two Duke Football players have been placed on the 2015 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List, according to an announcement Friday by the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation. Redshirt senior linebacker Kelby Brown and redshirt senior safety Jeremy Cash are two of 42 student-athlete nominees for the 12th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy, which honors the top defensive player in college football who makes the biggest impact for his team, both on and off the field.

Duke is one of three schools with multiple student-athletes on the watch list, joining Ohio State and Stanford.

Brown, a 6-4, 245-pound native of Matthews, N.C., was granted a sixth year of eligibility after missing the 2014 campaign due to an ACL injury. In 2013, he totaled 114 tackles, including 11.0 for loss and 1.0 sack with a team-leading eight quarterback hurries, and was an All-ACC choice. A freshman All-America honoree, Brown is an Academic All-ACC selection and a graduate student pursuing a degree in Christian studies. Brown is also one of six 2015 selections who was on the Watch List a year ago.

Cash, a 6-2, 205-pound Miami, Fla., product, has received All-America accolades the last two years. As a team captain in 2014, Cash recorded 111 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 quarterback sacks, two interceptions, seven pass breakups, five quarterback pressures, four caused fumbles and one fumble recovery en route to earning second team All-America honors from both the Walter Camp Foundation and Football Writers Association of America. He is the only defensive back in the nation to record 100-plus tackles, 10.0-plus tackles for loss and 5.0-plus sacks this past season. Cash is a psychology major with a minor in evolutionary anthropology and is pursuing a certificate in markets and management.

In 2014, former Duke linebacker David Helton was a finalist for The Lott IMAPCT Trophy.

Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member Ronnie Lott, The Lott IMPACT 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 million to various charities throughout the country.

“I am equally proud of the fact that we have raised so much money for a variety of charities, including universities, and the fact that the players we have honored over these past 11 years have made significant impacts in their communities as well as on the field in the NFL,” Lott said.

The criteria for selecting student-athletes for the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List and subsequently the finalists and eventually the overall winner, is based on both athletic ability and character attributes.

The 12th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy Award Banquet will be held Dec. 13 at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Calif.

The 2015 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List
Kevin Anderson, LB, Stanford
Dante Barnett, S, Kansas State
Joe Bolden, LB, Michigan
Briean Boody-Calhoun, DB, Minnesota
Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
Kelby Brown, LB, Duke
DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
Michael Caputo, S, Wisconsin
Shilique Calhoun, DE, Michigan State
Jeremy Cash, S, Duke
Su'a Cravens, S, USC
Leonard Floyd, LB, Georgia
Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
Nate Gerry, DB, Nebraska
Adam Gotsis, DL, Georgia Tech
Deon Hollins, LB, UCLA
Dylan Haines, S, Texas
Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida
Ryan Janvion, S, Wake Forest
Jonathan Jones, CB, Auburn
Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia
Bronson Kaufusi, LB, BYU
Derrick Kindred, S, TCU
Jordan Lomax, S, Iowa
Dean Lowry, DE, Northwestern
Blake Martinez, LB, Stanford
Laui Moeakiola, LB, Arizona State
Calvin Munson, LB, San Diego State
Robert Nkemdiche, DE, Ole Miss
Jared Norris, LB, Utah
Shawn Oakman, DE, Baylor
Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State
Joshua Perry, LB, Ohio State
Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama
Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida State
Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville
Jaylon Smith, LB, Notre Dame
Weston Steelhammer, S, Air Force Academy
Eric Striker, LB, Oklahoma
Jeremy Timpf, LB, Army
Scooby Wright III, LB, Arizona
Anthony Zettel, DT, Penn State