Dec. 13, 2015
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Defensive end Carl Nassib (West Chester, Pa.) claimed his third national award of the season by winning the 12th Lott IMPACT Trophy presented by Mercedes-Benz USA, given to the distinguished young man that represent the qualities embodied by Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott -- Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation will donate $25,000 to the Penn State general scholarship fund in Nassib's name.
He is the first Penn State player to win the Lott IMPACT Trophy and the first Nittany Lion to win three national awards in a season since Larry Johnson (Maxwell, Walter Camp, Doak Walker) in 2002. Nassib joins a list of Lott IMPACT Trophy award winners that include Luke Kuechly (2011), J.J. Watt (2010), Manti Te'o (2012), Jerry Hughes (2009) and David Pollack (2004).
"I'm unbelievably thankful for everyone that has helped me arrive at this moment" Nassib said. "Winning this award means so much to me because it shows that being a Penn State football player is about more than just striving to be a great player, but also striving to be a great person too."
Nassib also won the 46th Rotary Lombardi Award for the nation's top lineman (offense or defense) or linebacker and the 14th Ted Hendricks Award for the nation's top defensive end. He is the second Nittany Lion to win the Lombardi Award (Bruce Clark, 1978) and first Penn Stater to claim the Hendricks Award.
Additionally, the West Chester, Pennsylvania native has collected five All-America honors - Associated Press All-America first team, Walter Camp All-America first team, SI.com All-America first team, CBS Sports All-America first team and USA Today All-America second team.
Nassib was also a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy (top player that started his career as a walk-on), the Nagurski Trophy (nation's top defensive player) and Bednarik Award (nation's top defensive player).
The West Chester, Pennsylvania native was picked as the Big Ten's Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and earned first team All-Big Ten honors from both the coaches and media. He is the sixth Nittany Lion to take home Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year accolades since 1998. He joins LaVar Arrington (1998), Courtney Brown (1999), Michael Haynes (2002), Jared Odrick (2009) and Devon Still (2011) on the list of Penn State honorees.
Despite playing only four snaps in the last two games due to injury, Nassib leads FBS in sacks (15.5) and forced fumbles (6) and is second in FBS and first in the Big Ten in tackles for loss (19.5). With one sack at Northwestern, Nassib broke the Penn State single-season sacks record by upping his total to 15.5. He surpasses the mark of 15 sacks set by Larry Kubin (1979) and Michael Haynes (2002).
Additionally, Nassib's six forced fumbles this season are the most by a Penn State player since Haynes had a school-record seven in the 2002. Nassib is the first Penn State player to force two fumbles in two games in a season since Maurice Evans did it in 2007. Evans had two forced fumbles against Indiana and two forced fumbles against Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl. Nassib was a midseason All-America choice by SI.com, ESPN.com, USAToday.com and CBS Sports.
The 2015 Walter Camp Player of the Year and members of the All-America team will be honored at the organization's national awards banquet on Saturday, January 16, 2016 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven. In addition, the Foundation will recognize three individuals -- Special Olympics CEO Tim Shriver (Distinguished American), former Florida State and Oakland Raider standout wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff (Man of the Year) and former Grambling State All-American and NFL quarterback Doug Williams (Alumnus of the Year) -- with major awards.
The Nittany Lions will square off against Georgia in the 71st TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday, Jan. 2 at noon. The game will air on ESPN. For more information on tickets, ticket packages and bowl information, visit Penn State's Bowl Central at GoPSUsports.com/bowlcentral.
Penn State season ticket renewals and Nittany Lion Club membership renewals also are underway for the 2016 campaign. The ticket invoice and Nittany Lion Club renewal deadline is Feb. 1, 2015. There will not be any increase in the price of Penn State football season tickets or Nittany Lion Club donation levels for next season. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2016 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.