Two Notre Dame players named to Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list
Watch list season for college football awards has begun. And two Notre Dame players are on the first one of the offseason.
Senior linebacker JD Bertrand and senior safety Brandon Joseph were named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list Thursday. They are two of the 42 FBS players to appear on it.
The Lott IMPACT Trophy – named for former USC safety and NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott – goes to the defensive player who makes “the biggest impact on his team both on and off the field. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.”
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Bertrand led the team with 101 tackles last season, stepping into a starting job at will linebacker less than two weeks before the season when Marist Liufau suffered a season-ending ankle fracture. He also had 7.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. His 753 snaps were the second most of any Irish defensive player.
Liufau’s return this spring means Bertrand is likely shifting to mike linebacker, the position he played his first two seasons at Notre Dame. Bertrand did not partake in contact drills this spring due to offseason wrist surgery. He and grad student Bo Bauer will likely split snaps there in a to-be-determined capacity.
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Joseph transferred to Notre Dame in January after three seasons at Northwestern. He was a consensus All-American in 2020, when he made 52 tackles and tied for the FBS lead with six interceptions. He made 80 tackles and intercepted three passes in 2021. He has appeared in the first round of several way-too-early 2023 NFL mock drafts. He all but wrapped up a starting job in spring practice and will help replace departed All-American safety and top-15 pick Kyle Hamilton.
Notre Dame is one of six teams with two or more players on the Lott watch list. The trophy was first awarded in 2004. The 2021 winner was Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. Notre Dame has had one Lott winner – linebacker Manti Te’o in 2012. Te’o was a finalist in 2011, and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was a finalist in 2020.
The winner is selected by a voting panel made up of former winners, media members, coaches and select members of The IMPACT Foundation Board of Directors.
