Washington Huskies Football: Shelton, Timu Named To IMPACT Award Watch List

Oct 13, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; USC Trojans guard John Martinez (59) blocks Washington Huskies defensive tackle Danny Shelton (71) during the game at CenturyLink Field. Southern California defeated Washington 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier today, the watch list for the 2013 Lott IMPACT Award was announced. The list of 42 players around the nation included 11 from the Pac-12. Representing Washington are linebacker John Timu and defensive lineman Danny Shelton.

The award is named after former USC Trojan and San Francisco 49er, Ronnie Lott. It is more than just a defensive award, it is also an award based on character. IMPACT stands for: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

It is always nice to see two Huskies on an award watch list, but this seems even better, seeing as character and academics are taken into account. We all know Timu and Shelton are monsters on the field, but to be recognized for their character off of it many times means even more to the athletes.

After not having a player on the watch list last season, the Huskies have two this one. UCLA joins Washington as the only Pac-12 schools with multiple nominees.

The full list of Pac-12 players on the watch list is: Henry Anderson (Stanford), Anthony Barr (UCLA), Scott Crichton (Oregon State), Alden Darby (Arizona State), Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (Oregon), Jake Fischer (Arizona), Eric Kendricks (UCLA), Devon Kennard (USC) and Ed Reynolds (Stanford).

This year the Pac-12 makes up more than a quarter of the nominees and will try to win the award for just the second time. The only Pac-10/12 player to ever win the award was California’s Dante Hughes in 2006. Last season, Manti Te’o took home the award.