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Williams, Tracy, White all named awards finalists

Posted at 10:16 PM, Nov 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-19 23:16:05-05

LSU’S GREEDY WILLIAMS NAMED A FINALIST FOR THORPE AWARD
BATON ROUGE (PRESS RELEASE) — LSU cornerback Greedy Williams has been named one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is presented to the nation’s top defensive back, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame announced on Monday.

Williams, a sophomore from Shreveport, Louisiana, is joined on the list of finalists by Georgia’s DaAndre Baker and Notre Dame’s Julian Love. Williams is the only underclassman on the list of finalist.

A third-team All-America last year, Williams has played a key role in LSU’s defense leading the Southeastern Conference in both interceptions and takeaways. As a unit, LSU’s defense has accounted for 16 interceptions and 22 takeaways (16 interceptions, 6 fumble recoveries). The Tigers also rank No. 2 in the SEC and No. 6 nationally in pass efficiency defense.

In 11 games, Williams has accounted for two interceptions and 10 passes defended. He’s also been credited with 31 tackles and eight pass breakups.

Williams is looking to become the third LSU player to claim the Thorpe Award as he would join Morris Claiborne in 2011 and Patrick Peterson in 2010 as past winners of the coveted trophy.

The winner of the 2018 Thorpe Award will be announced on Thursday, December 6 at ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show, which will be held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Williams is one of four Tigers up for national awards as he’s joined by safety Grant Delpit (Nagurski), linebacker Devin White (Butkus) and placekicker Cole Tracy (Groza) as LSU’s national award finalists.

 

LSU’S COLE TRACY ONE OF THREE FINALISTS FOR GROZA AWARD
LSU’s Cole Tracy has been named one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award, which is presented annually to college football’s top placekicker, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced on Monday.

Tracy, a graduate transfer from Assumption College, currently leads the Southeastern Conference in field goals with 22. He’s connected on 22-of-25 field goals this year, which includes the game-winner as time expired in LSU’s 22-21 win over then-No. 7 Auburn in September.

Tracy is joined on the list of finalists by Syracuse’s Andre Szmyt and Cooper Rothe of Wyoming.

In addition to ranking third in the nation in field goals with 22, Tracy also ranks No. 3 nationally in field goas per game (2.0) and is No. 4 in the nation field goal percentage among those kickers with at least 20 attempts at 88.0 percent.

Tracy has only missed one kick inside of 50 yards this year as two of his three misses have come from 53 yards out – at Auburn and vs. Ole Miss.

Tracy’s 22 field goals currently ranks as the third-highest total in school history and his 25 attempts sits as No. 5 in LSU history. Against Georgia, Tracy tied the school-record for field goals in a game with five and he set the LSU mark for points by kicking with 19 in the 36-16 win over the then-No. 2 ranked Bulldogs.

Tracy goes into the Texas A&M game with 99 points, which leads the Tigers, ranks fourth in the SEC and 15th nationally.

This year, fans can have their part in naming the winner of the Lou Groza Award.  Fans can visit www.lougrozaaward.com/18finalists and cast a vote for their favorite of the three finalists selected by the national panel of voters. The finalist who receives the greatest total of fan votes will be given one vote on the final ballot. One vote can make a difference in the final outcome so fans are encouraged to participate.

The three finalists will be honored at the 27th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet, presented by the Orange Bowl, on Monday, December 3rd at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.  For more information on the Lou Groza Award and the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, visit www.palmbeachsports.com.

The three Lou Groza Award finalists will be highlighted on ESPNU during The Home Depot College Football Awards Nomination Special airing Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

This year’s Lou Groza Award winner will be revealed on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show airing live from the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on Thursday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. ET.

 

LSU’S DEVIN WHITE NAMED A FINALISTS FOR BUTKUS AWARD
LSU junior Devin White has been named as one of five finalists for the Dick Butkus Award, which is presented annually to the top linebacker in college football, the Butkus Foundation announced on Monday.

White is joined on the list by Josh Allen (Kentucky), Devin Bush (Michigan), Tre Lamar (Clemson) and Dylan Moses (Alabama).

Now in its 34th season of honoring the top linebacker in college football, the 2018 Butkus Award winner will be announced on December 6.

White, a second team All-America in 2017, currently leads the Tigers and ranks fourth in the SEC in tackles with 98. He also has 8.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and eight quarterback hurries to his credit this year.

White goes into the Texas A&M game just two tackles shy of becoming only the seventh player in LSU history to record 100 tackles in back-to-back seasons.

Now in his second year as a starting linebacker for the Tigers, White has 261 career tackles to go along with 25.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He’s also responsible for seven takeaways (4 fumble recoveries, 2 forced fumbles and an interception).

Last year, White set an SEC record by being named the league’s defensive player of the week four times. He led the SEC in tackles last year with 133, which ranks as the fourth-highest total in school history.