Syracuse Football: Andre Cisco on watch list for defensive player of year
By Neil Adler
Syracuse football junior safety Andre Cisco is under serious consideration for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.
For the second-straight campaign, Syracuse football junior safety Andre Cisco has received inclusion on the watch list for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is the only major college football award that equally recognizes both athletic performance and personal character.
A big congrats to the 6-foot, 206-pound Cisco, who hails from Valley Stream, N.Y., and is primed for a monster 2020 campaign in which he is garnering some pre-season love as a possible NFL Draft first-round selection.
According to a press release regarding the 17th-annual Lott IMPACT Trophy, 42 players are on the watch list from 41 schools, with defending national champion LSU having two candidates.
This year’s watch list includes 16 linebackers, 15 defensive backs and 11 defensive linemen. The Atlantic Coast Conference, of which the Orange is a member, boasts nine candidates, along with the Big Ten Conference – the most of any leagues around the country, and two more than the powerhouse Southeastern Conference.
A cuse.com announcement says the winner of the 2020 Lott IMPACT Trophy will get revealed Dec. 17 in Newport Beach, Calif.
Voters consist of national journalists, previous finalists, Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation board members, and former college football head coaches. This distinguished award is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott.
Syracuse football junior safety Andre Cisco has put forth some impressive numbers on the Hill.
In 2018, Cisco was named to the Associated Press All-American third team, becoming the first true freshman in Syracuse football program history to earn All-America honors.
Per the cuse.com statement, Cisco presently leads the Football Bowl Subdivision (“FBS”) with 12 career interceptions, and he ranks second among current FBS players in passes defended per game (1.27).
In 22 total contests, Cisco has 125 tackles, 28 passes defended, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery to go along with his dozen picks.
Cisco, who has made the Syracuse University honor roll, excels on the field and in the classroom. By all accounts, he possesses high character. It’s absolutely commendable that he’s gained a place on the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list for two-consecutive stanzas.