Pitt defensive end Patrick Jones II is one of 42 players that have been named to the Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list.
The Lott Trophy is presented annually to the college football defensive player that shows the greatest strength in six areas: integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community and tenacity.
The award is selected by a panel of national media, previous finalists and the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation. It is named after former USC and NFL safety Ronnie Lott and the 42 players on the watch list are a nod to Lott’s uniform number.
The 2019 award was won by defensive tackle Derrick Brown of Auburn. No Pitt player has ever won the trophy, which has been awarded annually since 2004.
Jones, a redshirt senior, had a breakout season in 2019 in his first year as a full-time starter. He was named to the second-team All-ACC and was an All-American honorable mention after garnering 43 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 13 games.
A native of Chesapeake, Virginia, Jones came to Pitt as a three-star prospect in 2016 and redshirted as a true freshman, but began to show promise as a redshirt sophomore in 2018, when he was Pitt’s top reserve defensive end and had 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and a forced fumble in minimal playing time.
With a season-long injury to Rashad Weaver, Jones spent 2019 as Pitt’s top outside linemen and anchored a defense that tied for the NCAA lead with 51 sacks.
