Oct. 20, 2009
Junior DE Sam Acho has been selected as a quarterfinalist for the 2009 Lott Trophy, honoring the nation’s top defensive IMPACT player, The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has announced.
This season, Acho has started all six games and notched 22 tackles, five sacks, seven TFL, eight pressures, two PBD and four fumble recoveries. The four fumble recoveries rank first nationally and are already tied for third on UT’s single-season list. He has seen action in 30 career games and tallied 48 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 13 TFL, 19 pressures, six PBD, a forced fumble and four fumble recoveries.
Off the field, Acho is a two-year member of UT’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council, and he served as UT’s representative at the 2009 NCAA Leadership Conference in May. He earned CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 and first-team Academic All Big 12 honors in 2008 and is a four-time UT's Athletics Director’s Honor Roll. Including this summer, he and his family have made several medical mission trips to his father’s native country of Nigeria. He is also highly involved in the team’s community service program and is a regular visitor to the Dell Children’s Medical Center.
Texas has had two finalists for the Lott Trophy in its five-year history, including LB Derrick Johnson in 2004 and DE Brian Orakpo in 2008.
Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, the Lott Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year, equally recognizing 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.
Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the IMPACT Foundation, the IMPACT Foundation Board of Advisors comprised of retired NFL players and the Legends Coaches, a distinguished group of former college head coaches.
Semifinalists for the award will be announced Nov. 3 and the four finalists will be named Nov. 24. The sixth annual Lott Trophy dinner will be held December 13th at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Calif.
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