8 SEC stars named quarterfinalists for 2026 Lott IMPACT Trophy
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
According to its website, the Lott IMPACT Trophy, awarded annually since 2004, is given to “a player who has had the biggest impact on his team both on and off the field.”
On Thursday, the Pacific Club Impact Foundation announced the 16 quarterfinalists for the 2026 award, and eight of them are from the SEC: Rasheem Biles (Texas); KJ Bolden (Georgia); Peyton Bowen (Oklahoma); Ty Bryant (Kentucky); Arion Carter and Xavier Gilliam (Tennessee); Bray Hubbard (Alabama); and Princewill Umanmielen (LSU).
The last SEC player to win the award was in 2022, when Will Anderson was with Alabama. Before that, Kentucky’s Joshua Hines-Allen (known then as Josh Allen) and Auburn’s Derek Brown won it in 2018 and 2019, respectively. David Pollack (2004), DeMeco Ryans (2005), and Glenn Dorsey are the other former SEC players to win it.
The Lott IMPACT Trophy is named after former USC defensive back and Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, who won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and helped lead the Trojans to a national championship in 1978. An eight-time first-team All-Pro and member of the NFL’s 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams, Lott was also named to the AP’s All-Time All-American list as a first-team player in 2025.
Here is a list of all 16 quarterfinalists:
- Jide Abasiri, USC
- Rasheem Biles, Texas
- KJ Bolden, Georgia
- Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma
- Ty Bryant, Kentucky
- Arion Carter, Tennessee
- Robert Fitzgerald, Northwestern
- Xavier Gilliam, Tennessee
- Bray Hubbard, Alabama
- Zach Lutmer, Iowa
- Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
- Sammy Omosigho, UCLA
- Ben Roberts, Texas Tech
- Tony Rojas, Penn State
- Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon
- Princewill Umanmielen, LSU
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
