|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A trio of Clemson University football players made the preseason watchlist for the Lombardi Award – presented annually to the most outstanding lineman or linebacker in college football. No University of South Carolina players made the list – which was somewhat surprising considering Gamecock linebacker Debo Williams has made several preseason watchlists and is among the top returning linebackers in the SEC.
Nineteen SEC players made the Lombardi watchlist… but not Williams.
For Clemson, sophomore defensive end Peter Woods – a 6-foot-2, 315-pound sophomore from Alabaster, Alabama – continued to rack up the preseason accolades. Woods is already on the 2024 watchlist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy – presented annually to the top defensive player in the NCAA. A freshman All-American, Woods recorded 27 tackles – including 2.5 tackles for loss – in his first season with the Tigers.
***
***
Tigers’ linebacker Barrett Carter – a senior from Suwanee, Georgia – also made the preseason Lombardi cut. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound tackling machine has been referred to by head coach Dabo Swinney as “one of the best pure football players I’ve had in twenty years.”
During his career at Clemson, Carter has been credited with 170 tackles (21 for loss), 9 sacks, 15 pass breakups, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in thirty-eight games over three seasons. A sports communication major, Carter is a three-time ACC Honor Roll selection (2021-23) and a two-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree (2022-23).
Rounding out the Tigers’ Lombardi trio is junior offensive tackle Blake Miller – another former freshman All-American. A 6-foot-6, 315-pound native of Strongsville, Ohio, Miller has started every game for Clemson at right tackle since arriving prior to the start of the 2022 season – and figures to be the anchor of the Tigers’ offensive front for a third straight season in 2024.
***
The Lombardi Award – named in honor of legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi – was first presented in 1970. From 2017-2020, the Rotary Club of Houston – which oversees the award – ruled that position players were eligible to receive it, however in 2021 it reverted back to the original criteria of honoring only linemen and linebackers.
The distinctive trophy features a large block of granite on a pedestal, a reference to Lombardi’s playing days at Fordham University in the 1930s during which he and his fellow offensive linemen were known as the “seven blocks of granite.”
According to the presenting organization, the 2024 award dinner will take place on December, 11, 2024 in Houston, Texas, with “net proceeds from gala sponsorship and table sales dedicated to supporting cancer research and families and patients battling cancer.”
Surprisingly, no Clemson or South Carolina player has ever won the Lombardi Award. Only one player – Ohio State’s Orlando Pace – has ever won it twice. Last year’s winner, Laiatu Latu of UCLA, was selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
Clemson opened the 2024 campaign ranked No. 14 nationally. The Tigers kick off their campaign on Saturday, August 31, 2024 against top-ranked Georgia in Atlanta.
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
