Nov. 9, 2005
Senior LB Brandon Hoyte has been named a semi-finalist for the second-annual Lott Trophy, presented by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation in Newport Beach, Ca.
Hoyte is a 5-11, 231-pound senior linebacker who is the captain of the Notre Dame team, leads the Irish in tackles (8 per game) and has been named to the academic all-district team twice. He is an honor student with a 3.35 GPA.
Defensive Coordinator Rick Minter says, “Anything you would ask for in a model footballplayer, student-athlete and captain is what he is.”
The other semi-finalists are Ohio State Linebacker A.J. Hawk, Kentucky Cornerback Antoine Huffman, Maryland Linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, Alabama Linebacker DeMeco Ryans, Virginia Defensive End Brennan Schmidt and Virginia Tech Defensive End Darryl Tapp.
In its second 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 first sports award based on personal character and is appropriately named after the legendary defensive back, Ronnie Lott. Last year’s winner was David Pollack, the All-American defensive end from Georgia.
Finalists will be announced Nov. 28. 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 three finalists from last year – Pollack, Derrick Johnson of Texas and Jim Leonhard of Wisconsin.
The winner will be announced on Dec. 11th at a gala black-tie Awards Banquet at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach.