Penn State sophomore linebacker Abdul Carter and junior cornerback Kalen King were named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List Tuesday evening.
Named after NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, The Lott Trophy annually goes to the Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year, a player who had the biggest impact on his team both on and off the field. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
Carter and King are two of the 42 total players on the list, which is comprised of 16 linebackers, 13 defensive backs and 13 defensive linemen. Penn State is one of seven schools with multiple candidates, joining Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, TCU and USC.
This past fall, Carter compiled 56 tackles (36 solo) with 10.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, four pass breakups and five quarterback hurries while appearing in all 13 games, making six starts.
He was named an FWAA and College Football News Freshman All-American and earned a spot on the ESPN.com, Pro Football Focus, On3 and 247Sports’ True Freshman All-American teams.
Carter was also selected to the All-Big Ten second team by media and earned a third-team nod from conference coaches.
King made nine starts at cornerback and appeared in all 13 games. He totaled 30 tackles (23 solo), three tackles for loss, 18 pass breakups, three interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. King’s 21 passes defended and 18 pass breakups both led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally.
He garnered All-American honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation (second team), Pro Football Focus (third team) and Phil Steele (honorable mention).
King was also named to the Pro Football Focus All-Big Ten first team, AP All-Big Ten second team and Phil Steele All-Big Ten second team.
The annual winner, which is selected by a national voter panel consisting of former winners, members of the media, coaches and members of the Board of Directors of The IMPACT® Foundation, will be announced at a gala event Dec. 10 at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California.
