UNC senior linebacker found his name on yet another preseason award watch list on Friday, as he was tabbed one of 35 players to watch for the Lott IMPACT Trophy this upcoming season.

This award honors former USC star and NFL Hall-of-Famer Ronnie Lott and is given to the top defensive player in college football, with personal character given equal weight to athletic performance.

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

This marks the fifth preseason watch list that includes Surratt–who led the Tar Heels with 115 tackles in 2019 after switching to defense from quarterback.

He was also named to the watch lists for the Nagurski Trophy, the Butkus Award, the Bednarik Award and the Senior Bowl. In addition, Surratt has also been named a Preseason All-American by multiple media outlets.

UNC head coach Mack Brown has stated in the lead-up to this season that the Tar Heels will experiment with having Surratt rush the quarterback more often–which could see him build on his 6.5 sacks from a year ago.

Surratt and the 18th-ranked Tar Heels will begin their season at home on Saturday when they host the Syracuse Orange.

For the full watch list for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, click here.

 

 

 

Photo via Dakota Moyer

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