Sedrick Ellis Named Lott Trophy Semifinalist
November 12, 2007 | Football
Nov. 12, 2007
USC senior defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis has been named one of the eight semifinalists for the fourth annual Lott Trophy, presented by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation of Newport Beach, Ca.
The other semifinalists are Illinois Linebacker J Leman, Colorado Linebacker Jordon Dizon, Virginia Defensive End Chris Long, Ohio State Linebacker James Laurinaitis, Arizona Cornerback Antoine Cason, LSU Defensive Tackle Glenn Dorsey and Kentucky Linebacker Wesley Woodyard.
Ellis has anchored the Trojan defense all season, consistently stuffing the run, pressuring the quarterback and making sideline to sideline plays. He has made 48 tackles, including team bests in tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (7.5), and also has 6 pass deflections and a fumble recovery.
"This is an outstanding group of candidates and I'm proud of each and every one of them for how they handle themselves on and off the football field," said Ronnie Lott.
In its fourth year, The Lott Trophy honors the college football Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. The student-athlete is judged on both his on-field performance and his off-field performance. The Lott Trophy is the only sports award based on personal character and is appropriately named after Lott, the legendary defensive back who had Hall of Fame careers at both the college (USC) and professional (49ers, Raiders, Jets) levels. Previous winners were David Pollack of Georgia, DeMeco Ryans of Alabama and Daymeion Hughes of California.
Voting for the winner will be conducted by Ernst & Young with ballots being sent to college offensive and defensive coordinators, national media, The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation Board of Directors, a Board of Advisors made up of former NFL players and coaches, along with the 17 members of the Master Coaches. The four finalists will be announced Nov. 26.
The winner will be announced on Dec. 9 at a gala black-tie Awards Banquet at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Calif. All four finalists will be flown to Newport Beach for the banquet.
The event will be televised live by Fox Sports Net.
The winning student-athlete's university will receive $25,000 for the general scholarship fund from The IMPACT Foundation. Each of the schools for the three runners-up will receive $5,000 for their general scholarship fund.
