Preseason watch list season rolls along with a duo of Iowa Hawkeyes garnering more recognition. Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell and Hawkeyes tight end Sam LaPorta were both named to the preseason Rotary Lombardi Award watch list.
To be considered for the Rotary Lombardi Award, a player must be a down lineman, end to end, either on offense or defense, setting up no further than 10 yards to the left or the right of the ball at the time of the snap; be a linebacker on defense, setting up no further than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage; must not come out of the offensive backfield and set up on the line of scrimmage as a blocker or a receiver or listed in the program as an offensive back or or receiver.
After registering 143 tackles, eight passes defensed, 3.5 tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions last season, Campbell made the 78-player watch list. Again, he is joined by teammate LaPorta who led the Hawkeyes in receptions and receiving yards with 53 grabs and 670 yards in 2021.
Campbell is a preseason first-team All-America selection by Phil Steele, and he’s been named to plenty of other watch lists as well. Both Campbell and Riley Moss were named to the Bednarik Award watch list, the Nagurski Trophy watch list and the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list.
Campbell was also named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List, he was picked as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by the Big Ten media, and has found himself as one of the top projected 2023 NFL draft picks at the linebacker position.
LaPorta brings back with him the most returning yards by a tight end to a Power 5 program. Similar to Campbell, LaPorta is projected as one of the top NFL draft picks at his position. He was listed by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. as the No. 2 tight end on his most recent 2023 NFL draft board. LaPorta was also recently named to the John Mackey Award watch list.
Fellow Big Ten stars that join both Campbell and LaPorta on the Rotary Lombardi Award’s preseason watch list…
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