Watch list season has begun.
It actually began last week, when the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation announced 42 preseason candidates for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which honors college football's defensive player who has made the biggest IMPACT (an acronym standing for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity) on his team.
The list of 42 candidates – a number chosen to represent San Francisco 49ers legend Ronnie Lott – includes two players who are expected to be stars for Ohio State's defense this year: defensive end Nick Bosa and safety Jordan Fuller.
Bosa was a first-team All-American last season as a true sophomore, while defensive coordinator Greg Schiano has similar expectations for Fuller going into his junior year.
Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell, who was selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos, was last year's winner of the award. Ohio State's James Laurinaitis won the award in 2008.
