South Carolina Football: Israel Mukuamu Nominated for Lott IMPACT Trophy

A South Carolina football member was nominated for the Lott IMPACT award, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation announced Thursday.

Rising junior Israel Mukuamu has been nominated for the Lott IMPACT award on Thrusday, joining 41 other candidates.

The award honors college football’s best in character and performance. It’s unique because it represents the first college football award to give equal weight to personal character as well as athletic performance and is the first national college football award based on the West Coast. The IMPACT award is awarded annually to individuals who demonstrate excellence in the field of athletics and recognizes college football’s Defensive Player of the Year who best exemplifies the IMPACT acronym: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

Named after former USC Trojan Ronnie Lott, the trophy has raised over $1.6 million for scholarships and youth-related charities throughout the country.  Former winners include David Pollack, Glenn Dorsey, JJ Watt, Demeco Ryans, and Luke Kuechly.

Mukuamu looks to improve upon a stellar sophomore season that saw him intercept four passes.  He broke onto the national scene after making 11 tackles and picking off Jake Fromm three times in the Gamecocks’ double overtime upset of Georgia.  He earned national player of the week awards for his efforts.

For the year, Mukuamu recorded 59 tackles and nine pass breakups, in addition to those four takeaways, on his way to second-team All-SEC honors.  His name has popped up on several mock draft projections as the season begins to creep closer.  He will resume his starting role in the Carolina secondary when the season begins in September.