BYU’s Isaiah Kaufusi On Award Watch List Recognizing Impact On & Off Field
Oct 21, 2020, 12:20 PM | Updated: Oct 22, 2020, 1:29 pm
BYU linebacker celebrates on defense during the Cougars 55-3 win over Navy on September 7th, 2020. (Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
(Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
PROVO, Utah – Senior BYU linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi is one of the leaders of a Cougar defense that ranks ninth nationally in total defense.
That leadership from Kaufusi was recognized on Wednesday, where he was named to the 2020 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List. The Lott IMPACT Trophy represents players who have made the biggest IMPACT on their teams both on and off the field. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity.
“Gotta stay locked in” 🔐 @isaiah_kaufusi pic.twitter.com/yhlAfkNRUm
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) October 3, 2020
Isaiah Kaufusi leads BYU with 32 tackles and 3.5 of those resulting in tackles for loss through five games. The Salt Lake City native also has three sacks, one quarterback hurry, and two forced fumbles.
Two weeks ago, against UTSA, BYU linebacker coach Ed Lamb called his game-high nine tackle performance “courageous” for how he did everything he could to secure the win for BYU.
The Lott IMPACT Trophy is named after USC legend Ronnie Lott who went on to have a 15-year career in the NFL. Lott is a good friend to BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe; the two were teammates and won Super Bowls together with the San Francisco 49ers. He attended a BYU football game in Provo five years ago.
The Lott IMPACT award is the first college football award to give equal weight to the personal character and the athletic performance of a defensive college player. It is the first national college football award based on the West Coast.
This award began in 2004, and the first winner of the Lott IMPACT Trophy was Georgia defensive lineman and current ESPN College GameDay host David Pollack. Other notable previous winners include Glenn Dorsey from LSU, James Laurinaitis out of Ohio State, TCU’s Jerry Hughes, Manti Te’o from Notre Dame, and last year’s winner Derrick Brown from Auburn.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
