GREENSBORO, N.C.— A total of seven football standouts from the Atlantic Coast Conference have been named to the first 2013 Watch List for the Lott IMPACT Award announced Thursday by the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Calif.
In all, the Watch List honored 42 student-athletes from 37 different colleges around the country featuring players who have made the biggest IMPACT on their teams both on and off the field. IMPACT stands for Integrity Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
The Award honors the nation’s top defensive player and in doing so takes into consideration an individual’s IMPACT on and off the field.
The ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten each had seven selections on the watch list, while the Pac-12 had 11 players tabbed. The SEC had five players chosen.
Virginia Tech was one of seven schools nationally to have multiple selections on the Watch List. They were joined by Baylor, Northwestern, Ohio State, Stanford, UCLA and Washington.
Named to the Award from the ACC were:
Duke cornerback Ross Cockrell, a senior from Waxhaw, N.C.;
Pittsburgh defensive lineman Aaron Donald, a senior from Pittsburgh, Pa.;
Boston College linebacker Steele Divitto, a senior from Ridgefield, Conn.;
Virginia Tech defensive back Antone Exum, a senior from Glen Allen, Va.
Florida State defensive back Lamarcus Joyner, a senior from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.;
Clemson linebacker Spencer Shuey, a senior from Charlotte, N.C.; and
Virginia Tech linebacker Jack Tyler, senior from Oakton, Va.
The ACC has had one previous winner in the Lott IMPACT Awards nine-year history, Boston College’s Luke Kuechly claimed the honor in 2011.
Voting for the award is held throughout the season by a National Voter Panel of former college coaches and players, select members of the media, past winners of the award and the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, the sponsors of the award. The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation also announced charity donations of $25,000 which brought their total donations in nine years to over $1 million. The 10th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy Black-Tie Awards Banquet will be Dec. 8 at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach.
by @hokiesmash
