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Jonathan Brown led the Illini with 108 tackles and was sixth nationally in TFLs with 19.5 in 2011.
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May 7, 2012
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Newport Beach, Calif. - Illinois junior linebacker Jonathan Brown has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2012 Lott IMPACT Trophy, given annually college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.
Brown had a breakout season for the Fighting Illini as a sophomore in 2011, ranking second in the Big Ten and sixth in the nation in tackles-for-loss per game (1.63) and sixth in the Big Ten in both tackles per game (9.0) and sacks per game (0.5). During conference action, Brown led the league in TFLs (14.5) and ranked second in tackles per game (11.9).
A native of Memphis, Tenn., Brown had at least nine tackles in every Big Ten game he played in 2011, including a career-high 17 stops along with 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks against Ohio State on Oct. 15. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the media in 2011.
The Lott IMPACT Trophy is the first trophy to give equal weight to personal character as well as athletic performance from a defensive college player and is the first national college football award based on the West Coast. It was named in honor of Ronnie Lott, a two-time All-American for USC and College Football Hall of Fame inductee. Lott went on to win four Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers and has a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Boston College's Luke Kuechly was the winner of 2011 Lott IMPACT Trophy.
ILLINI ON 2012 PRESEASON WATCH LISTS (through May 7):
Jonathan Brown: Lott IMPACT Trophy (Defensive POY)
