NEWPORT BEACH, California — Defending national champion LSU is the only school with two players named to the watch list for the 17th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation said on its website on Thursday.

The 42 student-athletes who make up the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List come from 41 different schools.

Defensive backs Jacoby Stevens and Derek Stingley Jr. were LSU’s two candidates for the award. The Watch List has 16 linebackers, 15 defensive backs and 11 defensive linemen.

The Big Ten and the ACC both have nine candidates while the Pac-12 has eight, the SEC seven, the Big 12 five, the Mountain West two, the AAC one and one independent, Notre Dame.

Stevens, a senior safety, made 92 tackles, nine for loss, with five sacks, three interceptions and nine pass breakups as a junior in 2019. Stevens (6-foot-1, 228 pounds) opted to return for his senior season.

Stingley, a sophomore cornerback, started 15 games and led the Southeastern Conference with six interceptions as a freshman. He also was second nationally in passes defended with 21 and had 38 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Stingley was a first-team Associated Press All-SEC player and was unanimously voted as the AP’s SEC Newcomer of the Year.

Glenn Dorsey is the only LSU player to have won the award, in 2007.

Other SEC players on the list include auburn linebacker KJ Britt (69 tackles, 10 for losses); Georgia safety Richard Lecounte (4 INT, 61 tackles last year; Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses (missed 2019 season); and South Carolina cornerback Israel Mukaumu (45 tackles, 4 INT, 13 passes defended).

In addition to LSU’s players, several other candidates for the award have Louisiana ties.

Moses is a Baton Rouge native and Mukaumu is from Bossier City. Georgia Tech linebacker Tre Swilling (10 passes broken up, 11 passes defended) is from New Orleans and is the son of former New Orleans Saints linebacker Pat Swilling. TCU linebacker Garret Wallow (125 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss) also is from New Orleans.

The Lott IMPACT Trophy, which has raised more than $1.6 million for scholarships and other youth-related charities throughout the country, is the only major college football award where the character of the nominee is considered.

IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.