May 23, 2017
NOTRE DAME, Indiana – University of Notre Dame senior safety Drue Tranquill was named to the 2017 Lott Trophy Watch List by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation.
Tranquill started all 12 games at safety for the Irish in 2017. He led the team with 52 solo tackles and ranked second in total tackles with 79. Tranquill added two pass breakups, two tackles for loss and one interception. His 79 stops last season fall just outside of the top-10 single-season tackle totals for an Irish defensive back. Glenn Earl (2002) and Brian Magee (1994) are tied for 10th with 81 tackles.
Tranquill returned to the starting lineup in 2016 after season-ending ACL injuries in both 2014 and 2015. He registered a career-high 13 tackles in Notre Dame’s 50-33 rout of Syracuse. Tranquill recorded 10 tackles and an interception against Virginia Tech.
Off the gridiron, Tranquill has excelled in the classroom and in the community. A mechanical engineering major and 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-American, Tranquill has a 3.73 grade-point average and has been named to the University’s Dean’s List three of his six semesters at Notre Dame. He was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree in 2015.
He’s the first Notre Dame player to receive such an honoree since wide receiver Corey Robinson earned first-team accolades in 2014. Tranquill’s the 60th Notre Dame player to earn Academic All-America honors.
Tranquill is involved in numerous off-the-field community service programs. He serves as a mentor for the Core Leadership Team for Lifeworks Ministry, is a member of Notre Dame Christian Athletes, Team Fellowship, AWP Sports in his native Fort Wayne, and is an athlete ambassador for Dream Teams. He is a also member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and Rosenthal Leadership Academy.
Last season, Tranquill launched the “5th Quarter” post-game event, giving him the opportunity to share his story of perseverance with the South Bend community at the Granger Oasis Church.
The list of the top defensive players in the country includes 17 linebackers, 14 defensive linemen and 11 defensive backs. The Pac-12 Conference has the most players on the Watch List with ten (10) followed by the ACC with nine (9), the Big Ten with eight (8), the SEC with six (6), the Big 12 with five (5), the AAC with two (2) and two (2) independents (Notre Dame and Navy).
Penn State, Ohio State, USC and Virginia each have two (2) nominees. To date, the Lott IMPACT Trophy has donated more than $1.3 million for various charities throughout the country, including more than $500,000 to universities.
The winner of the 14th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy will be announced at a banquet Dec. 10 at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California.
— ND —