NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. – Michigan Safety Jordan Kovacs has been named the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week.
Kovacs, a 6-0, 197-pound senior from Curtice, Ohio, led the Wolverines with 10 tackles and had two sacks, a forced fumble that led to a touchdown and a pass breakup in a 34-10 win over Western Michigan.
In recognition of Kovacs’ performance, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, sponsors of the Lott IMPACT Trophy, will make a $1,000 donation to the general scholarship fund at Michigan.
Kovacs is a former walk-on who had to overcome two knee surgeries in a 10-month span before making the Michigan team in 2008. He was an All-Ohio academic selection in high school, but was not heavily recruited. “I came here (to Michigan) with a list of goals,” he said after he had made the team. “I knew that walk-ons don’t really play in most programs. I just wanted to come in here, make the team and fulfill my role to the best of my ability.”
That ability catapulted him to 116 tackles last season, second in the Big Ten. He was named honorable mention all-conference and is off to a stellar start in this his final season at Ann Arbor.
Said Michigan Coach Brady Hoke about Kovacs: “He’s smart. He’s a smart football player. He understands the game. He can dissect the game. He studies the game well and he approaches it in a championship manner to how he wants to play.”
Other notable performances by players on the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List were:
*Luke Kuechly, Boston College, 18 tackles and an interception in loss to Northwestern, 24-17.
*Quinton Coples, North Carolina, 2 sacks in 42-10m win over James Madison.
*Joe Holland, Purdue, 14 tackles and two passes broken up in win over Middle Tennessee, 27-24.
*T.J. McDonald, USC, team high 8 tackles in 19-17 win over Minnesota.
Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Ronnie Lott, The Lott Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Founded in 2004 by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The Lott Trophy is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. The Lott Trophy is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation and the Legends Coaches which is a distinguished group of former college football head coaches. To date, the Foundation has donated more than $850,000 to various charities throughout the country. The eighth annual Lott Trophy dinner will be held Dec.r 11th at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California. For more information on The Lott Trophy visit: www.LottTrophy.com
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