Lott IMPACT Winner: Michigan LB Junior Colson

NEWPORT BEACH, CA (Dec. 10) – Michigan linebacker Junior Colson has been named the winner of the 20th Annual Lott IMPACT® Trophy. Colson led the Wolverines with 71 tackles, 26 more than the next closest player, to go with a pair of tackles for a loss and as many quarterback hurries.

The announcement came Sunday night at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, CA, at the Lott IMPACT® Trophy Annual Award Show from Ronnie Lott.

The award goes to the defensive player who has made the biggest IMPACT® on his team. IMPACT® stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

The defensive leader of the nation’s best defense, Junior Colson led the Wolverines to a perfect regular season in Ann Arbor and the number one seed in the College Football Playoff. Michigan will face Alabama on January 1st in the Rose Bowl Game.

Colson is the third Lott IMPACT® Trophy winner from Michigan, joining Jabril Peppers (2016) and Aidan Hutchinson (2021). In 2021, Charles Woodson was also presented with an honorary Lott IMPACT® Trophy.

The keynote address came from college football Hall of Famer Brent Jones, a three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time All-Pro tight end. Joel Klatt from Fox Sports was the emcee.

The Pacific Club IMPACT® Foundation will present a $25,000 check to the general scholarship fund at Alabama in recognition of Anderson’s achievement. Runners up were Jonah Elliss from Utah, Laiatu Latu of UCLA, and Alabama’s Dallas Turner. Each of those schools will receive $5,000 for their school’s scholarship fund.

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

2017 – Josey Jewell, Iowa

2018 – Josh Allen, Kentucky

2019 – Derek Brown, Auburn

2020 – Paddy Fisher, Northwestern

2021 – Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan

2022 – Will Anderson Jr., Alabama

 About the Lott IMPACT Trophy:

 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 recognize both athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. 

 The Lott IMPACT® Trophy is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. 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. 

 To date, the Foundation has donated more than $1.8 million to numerous charities and scholarships. The 20th Annual Lott IMPACT® Trophy Award Presentation will be held December 10th. For more information on The Lott Trophy visit: www.LottImpactTrophy.org