Houston, TX (August 15, 2023) – The Lombardi Award™, in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Houston, is pleased to announce the 78 players who will compete for this year’s coveted award and Middle Tennessee’s Marley Cook is among the honorees. The Lombardi Award™ goes annually to the college football offensive or defensive lineman who exemplifies the character and discipline of NFL Hall of Fame Head Coach Vince Lombardi in addition to outstanding performance and ability.
Cook, a redshirt junior from Water Valley, Miss., is a member of the CUSA Preseason Watch List after starting all 13 games last season at defensive tackle. Cook enjoyed a career year with 22 tackles, including 9.5 TFLs, 6.5 sacks, five hurries and a blocked kick.
This year’s watch list is filled with talent from many schools and conferences, making for an exciting voting process. To be considered for the Lombardi Award™, players must be an NCAA FBS College Football team member and meet the following qualifications:
- Be a down Lineman, end to end, either on offense or defense, setting up no further than ten (10) yards to the left or right of the ball at the time of the snap.
- Be a Linebacker on defense, setting up no further than five (5) yards deep from the line of scrimmage.
- Must not come out of the offensive backfield and set up on the line of scrimmage as a Blocker or a Receiver or listed in the program as an Offensive Back or Receiver.
- Be eligible to participate in the current season.
A mid-season watch list will be released on Oct 13 to reflect any updates to the current list.
Introducing the 2023 Lombardi Award™ Watchlist – a compilation of standout linemen from across college football. This list is meticulously assembled by a subcommittee of the Lombardi Award™ committee, with a keen eye on players’ previous performances and potential for the upcoming 2023 college football season. Athletes must have participated in at least one NCAA Division I college or university game to merit inclusion.
