March 10, 2008

The preliminary watch list for the 2008 Rotary Lombardi Award was released today, and two Conference USA players are among the 54 standouts named to the list. Southern Miss junior linebacker Gerald McRath and Houston senior defensive end Phillip Hunt represent Conference USA on the preseason list.

McRath, the reigning Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, led the Golden Eagles with 139 tackles last season to go along with 12 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, three passes broken up and one forced fumble. For his career, he has tallied 249 career stops, including 23 TFLs and 6.5 sacks. Last season, he tallied seven games in which he recorded 10 or more tackles including a career-best 21 at home against UCF. The Golden Eagles finished 7-6 for the team's 14th straight winning season and made their sixth straight bowl appearance.

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 (Ohio)
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