Three Ohio State football players make Lott Impact watch list

We’re not even halfway through college football watch list season, but we’ll start to see some of these as we head into the summer. The first of these took place on Thursday with the launch of Lott Impact 2024 Watch Listand Ohio State is the only team with three players.

The Lott trophy has existed since 2004 and goes to the defenseman who makes the biggest impact for the team on and off the field based on the acronym IMPACT (Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity).

For the Buckeyes, the trio that appears among the 42 names is senior cornerback Denzel Burke, sophomore safety Caleb Downs and senior defensive end JT Tuimoloau.

Burke bounced back last year after a sophomore season in which he didn’t live up to what we saw during his freshman campaign. He will be on the list of the best corners, not only in the Big Ten, but in the country.

As a freshman, Downs was one of the best defenders in the country at Alabama and made the difficult decision to transfer to Ohio State when Nick Saban retired. He should make a significant difference for OSU this fall.

Tuimoloau surprised many by returning for his senior season. He was one of the most coveted prospects in the country when he committed to Ohio State in 2021. He has dominated games at times and will be part of one of the best defensive tandems in the country alongside fellow edge rusher Jack Sawyer.

Former linebacker and current assistant coach James Laurinaitis is the only Ohio State player to win the Lott Trophy. He did it in that ridiculous 2008 campaign.

We’ll continue to bring you that throng of OSU players who are sure to be on preseason watch lists as things get closer and closer to the start of the 2024 season.

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This story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire