Grubbs named to 2022 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List

RUSTON – Louisiana Tech linebacker Tyler Grubbs has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2022 Rotary Lombardi Award the Rotary Club of Houston announced on Monday.

The Rotary Lombardi Award annually goes to the college football offensive or defensive lineman, who in addition to outstanding performance and ability, best exemplifies the character and discipline of NFL Hall of Fame head coach Vince Lombardi.

Grubbs, a two-time All-Conference USA and All-Louisiana selection has started all 22 of his games as a Bulldog and led the team in total tackles (99 and 97) in each of his first two seasons. The 247Sports freshman All-American selection finished in the top five last season in C-USA tackles per game (8.1) and also led the team in tackles for loss (10.0) while registering a season-high 13 tackles against SMU. Grubbs was also recently named first-team preseason All-CUSA by Athlon Sports and collected second-team CUSA honors from Phil Steele.

The New Orleans, La., native has been one of the best linebackers in the nation since bursting onto the scene in 2020. His career mark of 8.91 tackles per game ranks second nationally among all active players. He is also among the FBS active career leaders in solo tackles per game, ranking 19th with 4.05.
To be considered for the Rotary Lombardi Award®, players must be a NCAA FBS College Football team member and meet the following qualifications: Be a down Lineman, end to end, either on offense or defense, setting up no further than ten (10) yards to the left or right of the ball at the time of the snap. Be a Linebacker on defense, setting up no further than five (5) yards deep from the line of scrimmage. Must not come out of the offensive backfield and set up on the line of scrimmage as a Blocker or a Receiver or listed in the program as an Offensive Back or Receiver. Be eligible to participate in the current season.

The Rotary Lombardi Award winner will be chosen from the four finalists named in November. Committee members will then vote to select the winner they regard as the best lineman in college football. The finalists will be unveiled on Nov. 23 and the winner will be selected on Dec. 7.

The Sonny Cumbie era grows closer with the season opener scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 1 in Columbia, Mo. against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium on ESPNU.

The Bulldog’s home opener will kick off a five-game home slate during 2022 with a matchup against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. on ESPN3. The remaining four home games will feature C-USA opponents UTEP (Oct. 8), Rice (Oct. 22), Middle Tennessee (Nov. 5), and UAB (Nov. 26). Homecoming will be on Oct. 22 against Rice at 2 p.m.

Season tickets for the 2022 Louisiana Tech football season are on sale now. Fans can purchase season tickets online at LATechSports.com/tickets or by calling the LA Tech Ticket Office at (318) 257-3631.

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