The Rotary Lombardi Award has announced its list of semi-finalists for 2021. Photo by Wiki Commons.
The Rotary Lombardi Award annually goes to the college football offensive or defensive lineman, who in addition to outstanding performance and ability, best exemplifies the character and discipline of NFL Hall of Fame Head Coach Vince Lombardi. This year's list of 12 semi-finalists features a variety of standout players from across the country.
Alabama OLB Will Anderson
Alabama MLB Christian Harris
Alabama OL Evan Neal
BYU C James Empey
Florida State DE Jermaine Johnson
Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum
Iowa State LB Mike Rose
Kentucky OT Darian Kinnard
Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson
Ohio State OL Thayer Munford
Penn State DT PJ Mustipher
Texas A&M OL Kenyon Green
The SEC features five semi-finalists with the Big Ten having four representatives on the list. The list of twelve semi-finalists will be pared down to four finalists to be revealed on November 9th. BYU, Iowa, Iowa State, and Kentucky would have their first winner, while a win by Ohio State's Thayer Munford would mark the seventh Buckeye to win.
The award ceremony will be held on December 8th in Houston and will feature the four finalists, their coaches, as well as the 1987 winner of the award, Chris Spielman. Honorary Chair and Famed Green Bay Packer Jerry Kramer will preside over the event. Past winners include Ndamukong Suh, Julius Peppers, Terrell Suggs, Aaron Donald, and two-time winner Orlando Pace. Net proceeds from the Award's activities are contributed to Cancer Research and specifically the American Cancer Society's programs.
