Nov. 7, 2013

University of South Carolina junior defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is among 12 players named as semifinalists for the 44th Rotary Lombardi Award, it was announced today.

Clowney, a 6-6, 274-pounder from Rock Hill, S.C., was a finalist for the award last season. He is among eight defensive and four offensive players announced as 2103 semifinalists today at the Rotary Club of Houston. The SEC leads the pack with four players, followed by the Pac-12 with three, the ACC two followed by the Big Ten and the Big 12 with one each and one Independent.

The 12 semifinalists are:

Anthony Barr Sr LB UCLA

Vic Beasley Jr DE Clemson

Jadeveon Clowney Jr DE South Carolina

Aaron Donald Sr DE Pittsburgh

Taylor Lewan Sr T Michigan

Jake Matthews Sr T Texas A&M

CJ Mosley Sr LB Alabama

Trent Murphy Sr LB Stanford

Cyril Richardson Sr G Baylor

Michael Sam Sr DE Missouri

Kyle Van Noy Sr LB BYU

David Yankey Jr T Stanford

The 44th Lombardi Award will be held December 11, 2013, at the Wortham Center in Houston, Texas. For tickets and sponsorship information, visit www.rotarylombardiaward.org.

The Rotary Lombardi Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official Web site, www.NCFAA.org