The 12 finalists for college football’s Lombardi Award have been named, and two athletes from the Houston area who play at Texas colleges are among the contenders!
The Lombardi Award was first introduced back in 1970 after the passing of Vince Lombardi due to colon cancer. He is widely regarded as one of the best coaches and most influential figures in football history.
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It was established by the Rotary Club of Houston with the permission of Lombardi’s widow, Marie and his sister, Madeline Lombardi Werner. Proceeds from the annual Gala associated with the award go towards cancer research and families battling the disease, as the Lombardi family wanted.
The Lombardi Award honor is handed to the player who “displays exceptional performance and ability and embodies the character and discipline that Vince Lombardi championed throughout his life.”
The finalists were announced Thursday morning.
The 51st #LombardiAward Semifinalists just dropped.... 👀#RotaryClubofHTX
— Lombardi Award (@lombardi_award) November 7, 2024
🏈 @TexasFootball @AggieFootball @Vol_Football @LSUfootball @PennStateFball @BCFootball @HawkeyeFootball @GamecockFB @GeorgiaFootball @NavyFB @ArmyWP_Football @HokiesFB pic.twitter.com/gZNcPmPtS8
Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. and Texas A&M edge rusher Nic Scourton represented the state of Texas through their universities, but their roots are also not too far from Houston.
Banks Jr. grew up in Humble and attended Summer Creek High School, while Scourton comes from Bryan and attended Bryan High School.
If Banks Jr. wins the Lombardi Award, he would be the fourth Longhorn to do so and the first since Brian Orakpo in 2008.
Scourton would be the second Aggie to win the award after Dat Nguyen took it home in 1998.
The award was recently won by a familiar face for Texans’ fans, as then-Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. took home the honor in 2022.
All 12 of the finalists are listed below:
- Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
- Will Campbell, OT, LSU
- Abdul Carter, DE, Penn State
- Donovan Ezeiruaku, DE, Boston College
- Jay Higgins, LB, Iowa
- Kyle Kennard, EDGE, South Carolina
- Kyle Lewis, DL, Army
- James Pearce Jr., DE, Tennessee
- Antwaun Powell-Ryland, DE, Virginia Tech
- Colin Ramos, LB, Navy
- Nic Scourton, DE, Texas A&M
- Mykel Williams, LOLB, Georgia
The Lombardi Award Ceremony will be streamed on KPRC 2+ on the night of Dec. 11. You can download the KPRC 2+ app here.