As the 2013 College Football season approaches, it’s fun to speculate who is going to win everything: the national title, conference champions, award winners, etc. Here is our fun. The Lombardi Award is given to the best lineman/linebacker in Division I football. Here are our predictions of who the potential finalists will be...
Defensive Linemen
The Front Runner: Jadeveon Clowney (South Carolina)
2012 Statistics: 54 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 3 forced fumbles
Clowney is the biggest name and the biggest talent in college football right now. He is already considered to be the best player available in the 2014 NFL Draft, and with great reason. He has ridiculous size (6’6” , 274) and top-notch speed. On top of all that, he is incredibly strong and hits hard. Vincent Smith probably still has nightmares about him.
Enough about his traits, though... onto his stats. Clowney used his skill set to post high numbers in 2012, including 23.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. As Clowney gets ready for 2013, expect him to be the front-runner for the Lombardi Award, and expect higher numbers than last season.
Another Name to Watch: Will Sutton (Arizona State)
2012 Statistics: 63 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 3 forced fumbles
Statistically speaking, one could argue Sutton is equally as dominant as Clowney. He had more total tackles, the same number of tackles for loss and forced fumbles, and only one less sack. While Sutton is not nearly as athletically gifted, or well-known, as Clowney is, his pass rush capabilities are through the roof. When watching Arizona State games, it seems like Sutton is in the opposing backfield on every play. His speed and ability to wreak havoc in the backfield will help him continue to put up big numbers, as long as he stays healthy.
Linebackers
The Front Runner: CJ Mosley (Alabama)
2012 Statistics: 107 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions
Mosley was mentioned earlier this week as the front runner for the 2013 Butkus Award. Mosley’s skill set, as well as the talent of the rest of the Alabama defense, gives Nick Saban to be more creative with his schemes. This creativity gives Mosley opportunities to blitz, stop the opposing running game, and play pass defense, and overall, allows Mosley to accumulate more statistics throughout more categories than a defensive lineman.
Another Name to Watch: Anthony Barr (UCLA)
2012 Statistics: 82 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 4 forced fumbles
While Barr is a linebacker, he is primarily a pass rusher, so his numbers will need to stack up with the likes of Clowney and Sutton. And in 2012, they did. Barr had a phenomenal year, posting the tackle numbers of a linebacker, and the sack numbers of a defensive lineman. Barr’s ability to get in the backfield is unrivaled when compared to other linebackers, and will find himself in serious consideration for every defensive award he is eligible for.
Offensive Lineman
An offensive lineman has not won the Lombardi since 1996, when Orlando Pace from Ohio State won it. So it is unlikely that an offensive lineman will win this year, especially with the talent on defense eligible to win. However, here is one name who could be in consideration at the end of the season...
Jake Matthews (Texas A&M)
After spending 2012 at right tackle, Matthews moves over to Manziel’s blindside, replacing Luke Joeckel, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Matthews is one of the top tackles in college football, battling Michigan’s Taylor Lewan and Alabama’s Cyrus Kouandjio for the top spot. Manziel is trying to take the next step in his development as a quarterback, and Matthews will be key in helping him along. If Manziel has another Heisman-esque season, expect Matthews to be heavily considered as a finalist for this award.
The Best of the Rest
Linebackers
Jeremiah Attaochu (Georgia Tech)
Adrian Hubbard (Alabama)
Andrew Jackson (Western Kentucky)
AJ Johnson (Tennessee)
Christian Jones (Florida State)
Khalil Mack (Buffalo)
Trent Murphy (Stanford)
Ryan Shazier (Ohio State)
Kyle Van Noy (BYU)
Defensive Linemen
Morgan Breslin (USC)
Dominique Easley (Florida)
Mario Edwards (Florida State)
Devonte Fields (TCU)
Ra’Shede Hageman (Minnesota)
Jackson Jeffcoat (Texas)
Timmy Jernigan (Florida State)
Louis Nix (Notre Dame)
Offensive Linemen
Taylor Lewan (Michigan)
Cyrus Kuoandjio (Alabama)