University of Houston Athletics
Cougars' Hunt Named To Lombardi Award List
3/10/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
HOUSTON - Fresh off a consensus selection as a 2007 First-Team, All-Conference USA selection, University of Houston senior defensive end Phillip Hunt today was named to the preliminary watch list for the 2008 Rotary Lombardi Award. Hunt is one 54 standouts named to the list and is joined by Southern Miss junior linebacker Gerald McRath on the preseason list.
Hunt was a one-man wrecking crew on the Cougar defense, as his 10.5 sacks were tops in Conference USA and his 18 tackles for loss ranked second. Hunt was a first-team All-Conference selection and finished with 49 total tackles and a nation's best 10 pass breakups for a defensive lineman. He was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week for his effort against SMU on Nov. 4. Hunt helped the Cougars to their third straight bowl appearance last season, as the 8-5 Cougars played in the second annual Texas Bowl.
Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis, one of four finalists for the 38th Rotary Lombardi Award, presented by Wachovia, was the only junior among last year's finalists. The other finalists, all seniors, were LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, Virginia defensive end Chris Long and Michigan offensive lineman Jake Long. Dorsey won the 38th Rotary Lombardi Award in ceremonies held at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston on December 5, 2007.
Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen and those defensive players who line up within five yards of the football. The candidates earned a place on the preliminary watch list by earning All-American honors or by being named to their respective all-conference first team as selected by the conference's head coaches. The Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List will be updated prior to the start of the 2008 season in order to identify those players who have been selected as pre-season honors candidates.
While the Watch List highlights players who have already received national recognition, any Division I player who meets the position requirements is eligible for consideration from the Rotary Lombardi Selection Committee. This committee is comprised of more than 500 members, including all past winners and finalists, all Division 1 head coaches and a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The Rotary Lombardi Watch List, intended as a reference tool for the Selection Committee, will be periodically updated and revised through the conclusion of the voting to determine the 12 Semifinalists for 2008.
2008 LOMBARDI AWARD WATCH LIST (as of 3/10/08) Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin Robert Brewster, OT, Ball State Diyral Briggs, DE, Bowling Green Terrill Byrd, DT, Cincinnati Ian Campbell, DE, Kansas State Solomon Elimimian, LB, Hawaii Auston English, DE, Oklahoma Larry English, DE, Northern Illinois John Estes, OL, Hawaii Maurice Evans, DE, Penn State Ray Feinga, OL, BYU Andrew Gardner, OT, Georgia Tech Dominic Green, OL, Nevada Greg Hardy, DL, Ole Miss Jason Harmon, TE, Florida Atlantic Darius Hill, TE, Ball State Daniel Holtzclaw, LB, Eastern Michigan Phillip Hunt, DE, Houston George Hypolite, DT, Colorado Greg Isdaner, OL, West Virginia Herman Johnson, OL, LSU Jan Jorgensen, DL, BYU Frantz Joseph, LB, Florida Atlantic Mitch King, DL, Iowa James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State Boris Lee, LB, Troy Adam Leonard, LB, Hawaii Jonathan Luigs, C, Arkansas Alex Mack, OL, California Scott McKillop, LB, Pittsburgh Gerald McRath, LB, Southern Miss Matt Mandich, OL, Arkansas State Rey Maualuga, LB, USC Greg Middleton, DE, Indiana Joe Mortensen, LB, Kansas Clayton Mullins, OB, Miami (OH) Eric Norwood, DE, South Carolina Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss Anthony Parker, OL, Tennessee Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State Dennis Pitta, TE, BYU Ryan Purvis, TE, Boston College Nick Reed, DE, Oregon Dallas Reynolds, OL, BYU Duke Robinson, OL, Oklahoma George Selvie, DL, South Florida A.Q. Shipley, C, Penn State Dion Small, OL, Troy Andre Smith, OL, Alabama Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida Max Unger, OT, Oregon David Veikune, DL, Hawaii Vance Walker, DT, Georgia Tech Eric Wood, C, Louisville
