HOUSTON — The winner of the 2025 Lombardi Award, the nation's top college linemen or linebacker, will be announced Wednesday night in Houston. But three of the finalists are all winners in the eyes of some young cancer patients.

Hours before the Lombardi Award gala, the players surprised pediatric cancer patients at Texas Children's Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. Texas A&M's Cashius Howell, Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez and Alabama's Kadyn Proctor joined Miss Texas USA Taylor Davis to brighten their day.

They gave the boys and girls autographed footballs and offered words of encouragement, a welcome break from the daily monotony of nurses and needles.

This visit not only put smiles on the faces of the young patients, but it also gave the athletes a firsthand understanding of th

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