2 Texas Longhorns Named to 2024 Lott Trophy Watchlist

The Lott IMPACT Trophy is awarded to the Defensive Player of the Year who had the biggest impact on his team on and off the field and is named after two-time All-American and NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. It is the only national college football award that takes into consideration a player’s character as well as his athletic prowess. As the only national award based on the West Coast, the Lott Trophy has become a symbol of positivity often exhibited by college athletes.

The Southeastern Conference has 13 players named to the Lott Trophy watchlist, and two schools have two players each. Here we profile two players from the Texas Longhorns, a team that returns 15 starters in 2024.

2024 Lott Trophy Watchlist

CB Jahde Barron

A Second Team All-Big 12 Conference selection and a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award in 2023, Barron was third in tackles with 60. In addition, Barron picked off a pass, made 4.5 tackles for loss, and broke up six passes. Twice last season, Barron recorded double-digit tackles in a win over Wyoming and a 3-point loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. Barron has 156 tackles and 12 pass breakups in his collegiate year and will be a fifth-year senior for the Longhorns.

S Andrew Mukuba

A transfer from Clemson and a native of Austin, Texas, Mukuba was third on the Clemson team with 42 tackles, 6 pass breakups, and 2 tackles for loss. Mukuba was named a Freshman All-American by the Maxwell Football Club in 2021, and arrives on the Forty Acres with 143 career tackles and will provide leadership and experience in 2024.

Both Barron and Mukuba will be part of an experienced and talented defensive secondary that also includes Michael Taafe, Terrance Brooks, and Jaylon Guilbeau. This unit boasts a combined 177 tackles, 7 INTs, and 18 pass breakups.

Six players from the SEC have won the Lott Trophy, with David Pollack (Georgia) being the first winner of the award in 2004 and Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) hoisting the trophy in 2022.

The 2024 winner of the Lott Trophy will be announced at a black-tie affair on Dec. 8 in Newport Beach, Calif.