Lombardi watch list

UCLA middle linebacker Reggie Carter and defensive tackles Brigham Harwell and Brian Price were added to the Lombardi Award watch list. Here is the release:

HOUSTON – August 26, 2008 – With the kick-off of the college football season this week, the 2008 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List has added 59 players to the 54-player Preliminary Watch List, released in March. The 39th annual Rotary Lombardi Award, presented by Wachovia, honoring the top lineman in the Football Bowl Subdivision and benefiting the American Cancer Society, will be presented in Houston on December 10 at the Hilton Americas Hotel.

Senior defensive tackle Brigham Harwell, junior linebacker Reggie Carter and sophomore defensive tackle Brian Price have been added to the watch list. Harwell is the 2008 defensive team captain and on the Outland Trophy watch list. He missed most of last season due to injury. Carter is on several pre-season award watch lists including the Nagurski Award and Lott Trophy and had 62 tackles in 2007. Price, a freshman all-american in 2007, tallied 14 tackles during the 2007 season.

The new players were added to the Watch List based on various pre-season honors and nominations from the schools’ Sports Information Directors. Although the 113 players now on the Watch List are representative of the nation’s top football linemen, the list is not intended to serve as the actual ballot when first round voting begins in late September.

While the Watch List highlights players who have already received national recognition, any Football Bowl Subdivision player who meets 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 for consideration from the Rotary Lombardi Selection Committee. This committee is comprised of more than 500 members, including all past winners and finalists, all Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The Rotary Lombardi Watch List, intended as a reference tool for the Selection Committee, will be periodically updated and revised through the conclusion of the voting to determine the 12 Semifinalists for 2008.

In a repeat of last year, this year’s list has more defensive players than offensive players. There are 64 defensive players and 49 offensive players. Following is the complete updated watch list:

*Kenny Alfred, OL, Washington State
*Russell Allen, LB, San Diego State
*Geno Atkins, DT, Georgia
*Zane Beadles, OL, Utah
Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin
*Darry Beckwith, LB, LSU
*Alex Boone, OT, Ohio State
*Caleb Bostic, LB, Miami (OH)
*Ron Brace, DT, Boston College
Robert Brewster, OT, Ball State
Diyral Briggs, DE, Bowling Green
*Eben Britton, OT, Arizona
*Colin Brown, OL, Missouri
*Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
*Patrick Brown, OT, Central Florida
*George Bussey, OL, Louisville
Terrill Byrd, DT, Cincinnati
Ian Campbell, DE, Kansas State
*Reggie Carter, LB, UCLA
*Jonathan Casillas, LB, Wisconsin
*Robert Conley, OL, Utah
*Erik Cook, OL, New Mexico
*Maurice Crum, Jr, LB, Notre Dame
*Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
*Brian Cushing, LB, USC
*Anthony Davis, OL, Rutgers
*Dexter Davis, DE, Arizona State
*Will Davis, DE, Illinois
Solomon Elimimian, LB, Hawaii
*Dannell Ellerbe, LB, Georgia
Auston English, DE, Oklahoma
Larry English, DE, Northern Illinois
John Estes, OL, Hawaii
Maurice Evans, DE, Penn State
Ray Feinga, OL, BYU
*Alex Fletcher, OL, Stanford
*John Fletcher, DT, Wyoming
*Zack Follett, LB, California
*Xavier Fulton, OL, Illinois
Andrew Gardner, OT, Georgia Tech
Dominic Green, OL, Nevada
*Tyronne Green, OG, Auburn
Greg Hardy, DL, Ole Miss
Jason Harmon, TE, Florida Atlantic
*Brigham Harwell, DT, UCLA
*Joe Henderson, LB, UAB
Darius Hill, TE, Ball State
Daniel Holtzclaw, LB, Eastern Michigan
Phillip Hunt, DE, Houston
George Hypolite, DT, Colorado
Greg Isdaner, OL, West Virginia
*Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
Herman Johnson, OL, LSU
*Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
Jan Jorgensen, DL, BYU
Frantz Joseph, LB, Florida Atlantic
Mitch King, DL, Iowa
James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State
Boris Lee, LB, Troy
*Sean Lee, LB, Penn State
Adam Leonard, LB, Hawaii
*Andy Levitre, OT, Oregon State
Jonathan Luigs, C, Arkansas
Alex Mack, OL, California
*Albert McClellan, DE, Marshall
*Clinton McDonald, DL, Memphis
*Ryan McKee, OL, Southern Miss
*Tyrone McKenzie, LB, S. Florida
*Sen’Derrick Marks, DT, Auburn
Scott McKillop, LB, Pittsburgh
Gerald McRath, LB, Southern Miss
Matt Mandich, OL, Arkansas State
*Joshua Mauga, LB, Nevada
Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
Greg Middleton, DE, Indiana
*Fili Moala, DT, USC
*Tony Moeaki, TE, Iowa
Joe Mortensen, LB, Kansas
Clayton Mullins, LB, Miami (OH)
Eric Norwood, DE, South Carolina
Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss
*Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
Anthony Parker, OL, Tennessee
*Brandon Pearce, OT, Memphis
*Jeremy Perry, OG, Oregon State
Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
*Jason Phillips, LB, TCU
*Dave Philistin, LB, Maryland
Dennis Pitta, TE, BYU
*Brian Price, DT, UCLA
Ryan Purvis,=0 ATE, Boston College
*Brian Raines, LB, Rice
Nick Reed, DE, Oregon
Dallas Reynolds, OL, BYU
Duke Robinson, OL, Oklahoma
*Blake Schlueter, C, TCU
George Selvie, DE, S. Florida
A.Q. Shipley, C, Penn State
Dion Small, OL, Troy
Andre Smith, OL, Alabama
*Clinton Snyder, LB, Stanford
Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida
*Ryan Stanchek, OT, West Virginia
Max Unger, OT, Oregon
*Kraig Urbik, OL, Wisconsin
*Louis Vasquez, OL, Texas Tech
David Veikune, DL, Hawaii
Vance Walker, DT, Georgia Tech
*Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri
*Edwin Williams, OL, Maryland
*C.J. Wilson, DL, East Carolina
Eric Wood, C, Louisville
*Sam Young, OT, Notre Dame