NEWPORT BEACH, CA. – UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu is the Lott IMPACT® Trophy Player of the Week for week 12 of the 2023 college football season. Latu had two sacks, among 7 tackles (5 solo) in the Bruins 38-20 win at USC.
Latu is a senior who began his collegiate career at Washington where it was believed he suffered a career ending injury. He since transferred to UCLA and this year leads the nation in tackles for a loss and has the most sacks of any power 5 conference player.
Additionally, Latu is a finalist for the Lott IMPACT® Trophy, which will be presented on December 10th at The Pacific Club.
The Lott IMPACT® Trophy player of the week is determined in part by a panel of Lott Trophy board members, former players and coaches, as well as members of the media. That panel represents sixty percent of votes, while an online fan vote is used to determine the other forty percent.
The Lott IMPACT® Trophy is awarded annually to individuals who demonstrate excellence in the field of athletics and recognizes college football’s Defensive Player of the Year who best exemplifies the IMPACT acronym: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
The mission of The Pacific Club IMPACT® Foundation is to recognize and support both national and local charities that serve the youth of America with a focus on education and have a positive IMPACT® on the lives of young men and women.
Other nominees for the Lott IMPACT® Trophy Player of the Week in Week 12:
JERMARI HARRIS, DB, Iowa, Jr. – Broke up four passes, while recording eight tackles (all solo), including one for a loss in the Hawkeyes 15-13 win over Illinois
NICKOLAS MARTIN, DB, Oklahoma State, Jr. – Game high 12 tackles (11 solo), three for a loss, including a sack, and a QB hurry in the Cowboys 43-30 win over Houston.
JABBAR MUHAMMAD, CB, Washington, Jr.- Intercepted two passes, with 4 passes broken up, and a fumble recovery to go with a tackle in the Huskies 22-20 win over #10 Oregon State
JEREMIAH TROTTER JR, LB, Clemson, Jr.- Game high 11 tackles (7 solo), 1.5 for a loss, including a sack, with two QB hurries and a pass broken up in Tigers 31-20 win over #22 North Carolina.
Previous Winners of the Lott IMPACT® Trophy
2004 – David Pollack, Georgia
2005 – DeMeco Ryans, Alabama
2006 – Dante Hughes, Cal
2007 – Glenn Dorsey, LSU
2008 – James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
2009 – Jerry Hughes, TCU
2010 – J.J. Watt, Wisconsin
2011 – Luke Kuechly, Boston College
2012 – Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
2013 – Anthony Barr, UCLA
2014 – Eric Kendricks, UCLA
2015 – Carl Nassib, Penn State
2016 – Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
2017 – Josey Jewell, Iowa
2018 – Josh Allen, Kentucky
2019 – Derek Brown, Auburn
2020 – Paddy Fisher, Northwestern
2021 – Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
2022 – Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
The 20th Annual Lott IMPACT® Trophy Award Presentation will be held December 10th at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California. To purchase tickets for the event, click here or for more information on The Lott Trophy visit: www.LottImpactTrophy.org