NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Washington State defensive lineman Hercules Mata'afa has been named to the 2017 Lott IMPACT Trophy, The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation announced recently.

Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Ronnie Lott, The Lott IMPACT Trophy is awarded to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Founded in 2004 by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The Lott Trophy is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. The Lott Trophy is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. 

Mata'afa, entering his redshirt-junior seasons, is a two-time All-Pac-12 Conference selection, earning second teams honors last season after finishing fifth in the league with 13.5 tackles-for-loss including a team-high five sacks. The Lahaina, Hawaii native garnered Freshman All-American accolades in 2015 after making 11 tackles-for-loss with seven sacks.

The list of the top defensive players in the country includes 17 linebackers, 14 defensive linemen and 11 defensive backs. The Pac-12 Conference has the most players on the Watch List with ten (10) followed by the ACC with nine (9), the Big Ten with eight (8) and the SEC with six (6).

To date, the Lott IMPACT Trophy has donated more than $1.3 million for various charities throughout the country, including more than $500,000 to universities.

The winner of the 14th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy will be announced at a banquet Dec. 10 at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Ca. Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation and a distinguished group of former college football head coaches.
 
2017 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List Nominees:
Marcus Allen, S, Penn State
Quin Blanding, S, Virginia
Jason Cabinda, LB, Penn State
Sean Chandler, S, Temple
Jack Cichy, LB, Wisconsin
Koron Crump, LB, Arizona State
Duke Ejiofor, DE, Wake Forest
Bryon Fields, CB, Duke
Zaire Franklin, LB, Syracuse
Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
Porter Gustin, DE, USC
Brecklyn Hager, DE, Texas
Chase Hansen, S, Utah
Marquis Haynes, DE, Ole Miss
Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State
Josey Jewell, LB, Iowa
Joshua Kalu, S, Nebraska
Todd Kelly, Jr, S, Tennessee
Micah Kiser, LB, Virginia
Christian LaCouture, DE, LSU
Harold Landry, DE, Boston College
Tyquan Lewis, DE, Ohio State
Courtney Love, LB, Kentucky
Hercules Mata'afa, DE, Washington State
Derek McCartney, LB, Colorado
Airius Moore, LB, North Carolina State
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, LB, Oklahoma
Ed Oliver, DL, Houston
D.J. Palmore, LB, Navy
Harrison Phillips, DL, Stanford
D.J. Reed, DB, Kansas State
Cameron Saffle, DE, Cal
Tegray Scales, LB, Indiana
Cameron Smith, LB, USC
K.J. Smith, DE, Baylor
Ty Summers, LB, TCU
Drue Tranquill, S, Notre Dame
Azeem Victor, LB, Washington
Jordan Whitehead, S, Pitt
Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
Tre Williams, LB, Auburn
Kenny Young, LB, UCLA
 
Previous Winners of the Lott IMPACT Trophy:
2004 – David Pollack, Georgia
2005 – DeMeco Ryans, Alabama
2006 – Dante Hughes, Cal
2007 – Glenn Dorsey, LSU
2008 – James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
2009 – Jerry Hughes, TCU
2010 – J.J. Watt, Wisconsin
2011 – Luke Kuechly, Boston College
2012 – Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
2013 – Anthony Barr, UCLA
2014 – Eric Kendricks, UCLA
2015 – Carl Nassib, Penn State
2016 – Jabrill Peppers, Michigan