July 17, 2012
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech junior outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu was named to the preseason watch list for the prestigious Rotary Lombardi Award.
The 43rd annual Lombardi Award will go to the nation’s top college lineman or linebacker. Attaochu was one of 42 linebackers named to the national list.
Attaochu, 6-3, 240, earned honorable mention All-ACC honors last season after recording 59 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. He also had two fumble recoveries, two pass break-ups, one fumble recovery and one interception.
Attaochu will be attending the ACC Kickoff this weekend in Greensboro, N.C.
Attaochu is the third Georgia Tech player to be named to a 2012 national award preseason watch list. Earlier, junior center Jay Finch was named to the Rimington Trophy watch list and senior guard Omoregie Uzzi to the Outland Trophy watch list.
Former Yellow Jacket Coleman Rudolph was a Lombardi Award semifinalist in 1992. Tech’s Rock Perdoni was a finalist in 1970.
The Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List is a reference tool for the Selection Committee. It will be periodically revised until the first round of voting is completed. The first round of voting determines the Top 25 Quarter finalists for 2012. The second round of voting will determine the final seven semi-finalists or “Seven Blocks of Granite.” The third round of voting will determine the four finalists from the “Seven Blocks of Granite.” The fourth and final round of voting will determine the winner of The 43rd Rotary Lombardi Award, which will be announced on national television live in “prime-time” 8-9 PM (CST) Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at The Hobby Center in Houston, Texas (network to be determined).
Last year’s 2011 Rotary Lombardi Award winner, Luke Kuechly (LB-Boston College) was drafted by the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Panthers with the 9th overall pick of the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
