Iowa’s Desmond King named Lott IMPACT Trophy semifinalist

Courtesy of IowaHawkeyes.com

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior defensive back Desmond King is one of 10 semifinalists for the 2016 Lott IMPACT Trophy. The announcement was made Thursday by the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation.

There are four safeties, four linebackers, one cornerback and one defensive lineman on the semifinalist list. The Lott IMPACT Trophy winner will be announced live on FOX Sports on Dec. 11.

IMPACT is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. Iowa linebacker James Morris was a finalist for the award in 2013.

King (5-foot-11, 200-pounds) is also a semifinalist for the 2016 Jim Thorpe Award. King was the recipient of the Thorpe Award in 2015 following his junior season.

King has started all nine games at cornerback in 2016 and has 47 career starts. This season he has recorded 30 solo tackles and 15 assists, leads Iowa with six pass break-ups, and had a 41-yard interception return for a touchdown in a win at Purdue.

King, a native of Detroit, also leads Iowa’s special teams through nine games. He is averaging 29.2 yards per kickoff return to rank 10th in the nation. He is also averaging 9.2 yards on punt returns. King had a career-best 77-yard kickoff return against nationally-ranked Wisconsin.

In 2015, King tied the Iowa single-season record and ranked second in the country with eight interceptions, while recording 72 tackles and a team-high 13 pass breakups. He averaged 14.2 yards on 17 punt returns and 24.4 yards on 29 kickoff returns.

King was named a unanimous consensus All-American in 2015, was the recipient of the Jack Tatum Award and was named the Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Conference Defensive Back of the Year. King was one of five finalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and was Iowa’s Most Valuable Player on defense.

The Lott IMPACT Trophy was founded in 2004, and is named after College and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Ronnie Lott. The quarterfinalists include nine linebackers, seven defensive backs, and three defensive linemen.

A national voter panel, made up of former coaches, players, selected media and previous Lott IMPACT Trophy winners, will select four finalists as well as the winner. The finalists will be announced Nov. 29. Each school of the four finalists will receive $5,000 for their general scholarship fund, while the school of the winner will receive $25,000.

The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has donated more than $1.2 million to various charities throughout the country.

The 2016 Lott IMPACT Trophy Semifinalists:
Jamal Adams, S, LSU
Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama
Budda Baker, S, Washington
Adoree’ Jackson, CB, USC
Andrew King, LB, Army
Desmond King, CB, Iowa
Micah Kiser, LB, Virginia
Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State
Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan
Weston Steelhammer, S, Air Force