Two Badgers Named to Lombardi Watch List
August 27, 2007 | Football
Jonathan Casillas and Matt Shaughnessy have been added to the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List. The Lombardi Award is presented annually to college football's top lineman.
A junior linebacker from New Brunswick, N.J., Casillas has also been listed on the Lott and Chuck Bednarik Watch Lists. Casillas, who was a consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last year will look to anchor the Badger linebacking corps entering the 2007 season.
Shaughnessy, a defensive end from Norwich, Conn., is now listed on two preseason lists after being named to the Ted Hendricks Watch List earlier this summer. Shaughnessy was a consensus second-team All-Big Ten player last year and was UW's leading tackler on the defensive line.
65 players have been added to the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List. The 38th annual Rotary Lombardi Award, presented by Wachovia, honoring the top lineman in college football and benefiting the American Cancer Society, will be presented in Houston on December 5 at the Hilton Americas Hotel.
The new players have been added to the preliminary watch list announced in March
based on various pre-season honors. Although the 108 players now on the Watch List are representative of the nation's top football players, the list is not intended to serve as the actual ballot when first round voting begins in late September.
As recently as 2005, Elvis Dumervil, one of the final four finalists that year, was not included on the Watch List at the start of the season. Any player meeting the basic award criteria - a down lineman on either side of the ball including tight ends, and linebackers who line up within five yards of the ball - is eligible to receive votes.
Unlike last year when the list was fairly evenly divided, this year's list has more defensive players than offensive players. There are 63 defensive players and 45 offensive players. Following is the complete updated watch list:
