Robert Nkemdiche Withheld from Consideration for Lott Trophy by Ole Miss

Mississippi defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche is widely regarded as one of the nation's best defensive players, but his apparent academic standing has kept him off of the list of candidates for the Lott IMPACT Trophy. 

According to Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports, Nkemdiche's name was not on the most recent quarterfinal ballot for the award.   

"When the Lott Impact Trophy folks sent out the lengthy ballot of quarterfinalists for the award for the nation’s top defensive player, there was a surprising footnote at the bottom: 'ROBERT NKEMDICHE, DE, Ole Miss – School does not feel he meets academic standards,'" Forde wrote.

Forde also mentions that Ohio State's Joey Bosa and Baylor's Shawn Oakman were kept off of the list after they were suspended for one game this season, but Nkemdiche was withheld because the university "simply felt he wasn’t doing the job in the classroom."

The Lott IMPACT Trophy website states the award recognizes "individuals who demonstrate excellence in the field of athletics" and the IMPACT acronym stands for "Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity."

In terms of football talent, Nkemdiche has been very good in 2015 with 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in seven games. He's also one of the best known players in the country, thanks to his status as a potential first-round pick in next year's NFL draft. 

Nkemdiche has never been suspended or missed a game due to academic problems in three years at Mississippi, but his apparent issues in the classroom will cost him a shot at winning at least one major postseason award.