PROVO -- Recognized as one of the top defensive players in the country, BYU defensive end Jan Jorgensen has been selected as a preseason candidate for the Lott Trophy. Now in its fourth year, the Lott Trophy is awarded to college football's Defensive Impact Player of the of Year.
Jorgensen, who is also a candidate for the Rotary Lombardi Award and All-America honors, has started 26 straight games at defensive end. He earned both Academic All-Mountain West Conference and All-Mountain West Conference first-team honors last season. The 6-foot-3, 256-pound native of Helper, Utah led the MWC and ranked 12th nationally with 20 tackles for a combined loss of 115 yards. He also led the Mountain West and ranked among the nation's top-10 in sacks, recording 14 on the season for a combined loss of over 90 yards. Jorgensen was part of a defensive unit that allowed only one 100-yard rusher last season.
Following the 2007 campaign, Jorgensen was presented with the Big Brother Award for his role in helping to mentor younger players on the team. Jorgensen is extremely active in the community, participating in a number of activities with local school children, speaking engagements for local youth and a number of other community service projects.
Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, the Lott Trophy is sponsored by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation. Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, the IMPACT Foundation Board of Advisers which is comprised of many retired NFL players and Master Coaches, and a distinguished group of former head college football coaches.
Jorgensen is one of 42 initial players being considered for the award.