HOUSTON – Texas A&M sophomore defensive end Myles Garrett (Arlington, Texas) was named a semifinalist for the 2015 Rotary Lombardi Award, which is presented annually to the college lineman of the year by the Rotary Club of Houston.
Garrett is, arguably, the nation’s most disruptive defensive player. Garrett leads the SEC with 10.5 QB sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss (tie) and five forced fumbles, and he ranks in the top three nationally in all three of those statistical categories. He also has 44 tackles, seven QB hurries, a blocked punt and an interception on his 2015 resume.
In addition to being a Rotary Lombardi Award semifinalist, Garrett was named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award (defensive POY) and a quarter-finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, and he is on the watch lists for the Hendricks Award (top DE) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (outstanding defender).
The 12 semifinalists are:
| Bosa | Joey | DE | Ohio State |
| Calhoun | Shilique | DE | Michigan State |
| Decker | Taylor | OT | Ohio State |
| Drango | Spencer | OT | Baylor |
| Garrett | Myles | DE | Texas A & M |
| Lawson | Shaq | DE | Clemson |
| Matakevich | Tyler | LB | Temple |
| Nassib | Carl | DE | Penn State |
| Nkemdiche | Robert | DE | Ole Miss |
| Ragland | Reggie | LB | Alabama |
| Schobert | Joe | LB | Wisconsin |
| Stanley | Ronnie | OT | Notre Dame |
The Rotary Lombardi Award goes annually to the college football lineman — offence or defense — or linebacker who, in addition to outstanding performance and ability, best exemplifies the discipline of Vince Lombardi. As the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers Lombardi first made a name for himself as the smallest but toughest member of Fordham University’s “Seven Blocks of Granite,” renowned in their day (1934 – 37) for being the most unyielding line in college football. Appropriately, the trophy is a 40-pound bock of granite atop a silver pedestal built over a foundation of discipline. The symbolic design was created by Houston Rotarian and professional artist, the late Mark Storm.
Qualifications for the Rotary Lombardi Award:
- Be a down lineman, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, setting up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball at the time of snap.
- Be a linebacker on defense, setting up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage.
- May not come out of the offensive backfield and set up on the line of scrimmage as a blocker or receiver, or be listed as a back or receiver.
- Shows leadership, courage, desire, respect for authority and discipline.
Rotary Lombardi Award fun facts:
- Eight previous winners and finalists are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- 77 RLA winners and finalists have been chosen in the first round of the NFL draft – nine were number one picks.
- 45 Division I colleges have been represented by winners and finalists.
- Defensive ends have won the most RLA trophies.
- 35 winners have come from the defensive side of the ball and 9 from the offensive side.
- Orlando Pace is the only multiple winner of the RLA trophy, winning in 1995 and 1996. Nine winners of the award were a previous year’s finalist.
- 33 previous winners and finalists are members of the college football hall of fame.
- 45 NCAA FBS colleges have winners or finalists
- 36 winners from the defensive side of the ball and 9 form the offensive side
- 37 members of college football hall of fame
Complete Rotary Lombardi Award release:
2015 Rotary Lombardi Award Semifinalists
HOUSTON – Six defensive ends, three offensive linemen, and three linebackers comprise the list of 12 semifinalists for the 46th Rotary Lombardi Award, held annually in Houston, Texas. This year’s Award ceremony will be held December 9, 2015, at Revention Music Center.
The Big Ten Conference leads the pack with five players, followed by the SEC with three, and the Big 12, SEC, and American with one each. There is also one semifinalist from Independent Notre Dame. The list also contains a 2014 finalist, Joey Bosa; and two 2014 semifinalists, Robert Nkemdiche and Shilique Calhoun.
Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball, and linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage. All candidates also must be eligible to play college sports under the rules and regulations of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In addition, we consider the values and characteristics that exemplify the Lombardi legacy, leadership, discipline, sportsmanship and excellence of performance. The voting panel is made up of all FBS Head Football Coaches, past Rotary Lombardi Award Finalists and selected college football writers.
The 12 semifinalists are:
| Bosa | Joey | DE | Ohio State |
| Calhoun | Shilique | DE | Michigan State |
| Decker | Taylor | OT | Ohio State |
| Drango | Spencer | OT | Baylor |
| Garrett | Myles | DE | Texas A & M |
| Lawson | Shaq | DE | Clemson |
| Matakevich | Tyler | LB | Temple |
| Nassib | Carl | DE | Penn State |
| Nkemdiche | Robert | DE | Ole Miss |
| Ragland | Reggie | LB | Alabama |
| Schobert | Joe | LB | Wisconsin |
| Stanley | Ronnie | OT | Notre Dame |
Joey Bosa is a dominant defensive line performer who is tied for first nationally among current players, with 24.5 career quarterback sacks and 11.0 tackles-for-losses totaling 44 yards so far this year to rank fourth in the Big Ten Conference and 14th nationally. Always dealing with a double-team, Bosa has still powered his way to a record 30 tackles, plus wreaking additional havoc with nine quarterback pressures and three pass break-ups for the undefeated Buckeyes. Bosa is also a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award this year and he is on the midseason watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award. He was a unanimous All-American in 2014 when he was a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award and was named the Big Ten’s defensive player of the year and its defensive lineman of the year.
Fifth-year senior defensive end, Shilique Calhoun, a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection and two-time second-team All-American, leads the Spartans in sacks (8.0 for 54 yards) and tackles for loss (10.5 for 60 yards) this season. His eight sacks are fourth most in the Big Ten and seventh in the FBS, and he’s also tied for sixth in the conference in tackles for loss. Calhoun ranks first among Spartan defensive linemen with 30 tackles overall. He ranks among MSU’s all-time leaders in tackles for loss yardage (second with 246), sack yardage (third with 191), sacks (third with 24.5), tackles for loss (fifth with 39.5), and fumble recoveries (tied for 10th with five). In 48 career games, including 35 consecutive starts, he has 112 tackles with 39.5 resulting in losses (35 percent).
Three-year starting left tackle, Taylor Decker, is the undisputed leader of an Ohio State offensive line that has helped Ezekiel Elliott extend a nation’s-best streak of 13 consecutive 100-yard rushing games, while the team ranks 13th nationally with 247.0 rushing yards per game. Selected a “champion” by the Ohio State coaches in five games so far this season, Decker is a team captain who has started 37 consecutive games. Ohio State ranks first nationally (tied) in the last 37 games with an average of 6.2 yards per carry and second nationally with an average of 277.4 rushing yards per game. An animal sciences major, this mammoth – 6-8, 315 pound – tackle has spent the last two summers working at the world-famous Columbus Zoo.
On the field for the undefeated Baylor Bears, Spencer Drango is a returning All-American and a two-time All-Big 12 first team honoree. In 2015, Drango has started all seven games at left tackle for No. 2-ranked Baylor. He has aided the Bears in again being the top offense in the country (686.1 ypg and 61.1 ppg), while ranking second in rushing offense with 338.3 yards per game on the ground. With Drango’s help, Baylor ranks eighth in the country in sacks allowed with .86 per game. He was named the Big 12 Co-Offensive Lineman of Year in 2014 after starting all 13 games for the Big 12 champion Bears. Drango is on the Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award watch lists. To round out his impressive resume, he has been named a Wuerffel Trophy and Campbell Trophy finalist and a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award.
Texas A & M sophomore DE, Myles Garrett, is one of the nation’s most disruptive defensive players. Garrett leads the SEC with 10.5 QB sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss (tie) and five forced fumbles, and he ranks in the top three nationally in all three of those statistical categories. He also has 44 tackles, seven QB hurries, a blocked punt and an interception on his 2015 resume. In addition to being a Rotary Lombardi Award semifinalist, Garrett was named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year) and a quarter-finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy. He is on the watch lists for the Hendricks Award (top DE) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (outstanding defender).
Shaq Lawson, a junior from central South Carolina, has helped Clemson to a number-five ranking nationally in total defense. He has 45 tackles on the season, including 14.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks. He has had at least one tackle for loss in every game this year. He is a member of the Bednarik Award preseason watch list, and was a preseason first-team All-ACC selection by a vote of the league’s media. Lawson, a 6’3″ southern boy, is majoring in parks, recreation and tourism management.
Temple senior LB, Tyler Matakevich, the national current active leader with 433 career tackles, is nothing short of a tackling machine. He is the only player in the FBS to lead his team in tackles in every game this season. His 78 stops put him on pace for his fourth 100-plus tackles season, and he would become just the seventh college football player to accomplish that feat. Already this season he has 4.0 sacks and a conference-leading 5 interceptions (he entered the season with 2.5 and 2 in his career, respectively) adding to his legend as one of the best defenders in the country
A former walk-on, Carl Nassib, has worked tirelessly to earn a starting position on the defensive line at Penn State. Nassib leads the FBS in sacks (14.5) and tackles for loss (18.5) and is third in forced fumbles (5). He has recorded a sack in each game this season and five multi-sack games. Nassib’s 14.5 sacks this season are closing in on the school record of 15 sacks set by Michael Haynes (2002) and Larry Kubin (1979). Nassib was recently named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award for the nation’s Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a midseason All-America choice by SI.com, ESPN.com, USAToday.com and CBS Sports.
A 6-foot-4, 296-pound junior defensive tackle, Robert Nkemdiche has anchored the Ole Miss Rebels’ Landshark defense this season, while also providing some punch on offense. On defense, he has compiled 21 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. His constant pressure in opposing backfields helps the Ole Miss defense share the SEC lead with 12 interceptions and rank second in the league with 17 takeaways. A 2014 All-America second teamer, he was on numerous first team All-America projections this preseason, as well as watch lists for the Rotary Lombardi Award, Bednarik Award, Outland Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, among others.
Reggie Ragland stepped into the starting role at linebacker and excelled in 2014 earning himself Butkus Award semifinalist recognition this season and last. Adding to this year’s nominations he was named a Bednarik Award Semifinalist. Reggie leads the team with 71 tackles, including 42 solo stops, which is 32 more tackles than the next closest defender. He added 5.0 tackles for loss (-18 yards), two sacks, two forced fumbles, three pass breakups and three quarterback hurries. Reggie has led the team in tackles in seven of eight games this season for a defense that ranks fourth nationally in rush defense (78.5 ypg), sixth in total defense (275.8 ypg), 12th in pass efficiency defense and 15th in scoring defense (16.4 ppg). This year Reggie was named Bednarik Award’s National Defensive Player of the Week, SEC Defensive Player of the Week, and earned defensive player of the week from the Alabama coaches.
Once a high school prospect without a single FBS scholarship offer, Wisconsin senior OLB, Joe Schobert, has blossomed into a playmaker for Wisconsin’s No. 1-ranked defense. The Waukesha, Wisconsin native has helped UW hold opponents to a nation-leading 11.0 points per game this season. He ranks No. 4 nationally in both tackles for loss (14.5) and forced fumbles (4), while also ranking No. 6 in sacks (9.5). An honorable mention All-Big Ten selection as a junior in 2014, Schobert has played in 41 games with 24 starts for the Badgers. Joe is a Bednarik Award semifinalist, Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list member, and has been Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Week.
Behind Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley, the Irish offensive line is running at a 20-year-high 226.3 yards per game, and has helped the team to a No. 5 ranking in the current College Football Playoff ranking. Ranked No. 2 among 2017 top NFL prospects according to CBS Sports. Ranked No. 4 on Fox Sports for college football’s best players of 2015. A native of Las Vegas where he played for prep power Bishop Gorman High School, Stanley also started all 13 games at left tackle in 2014. Notre Dame Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2014.
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Rotary Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official Web site, www.NCFAA.org.