CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / July 26, 2021 / The Butkus Award® honoring the nation's best linebackers kicked off its 37th annual selection process today by announcing its collegiate and high school preseason watch lists.
Each watch list contains 51 linebackers, mirroring the legendary "51" pro jersey associated with the Award's namesake Dick Butkus, who was recognized by NFL Films as the best defensive player in football history.
The Collegiate Butkus Award watch list includes candidates from 51 universities, including returning finalist Devin Lloyd of Utah and five returning semi-finalists.
The High School Butkus Award watch list includes candidates from 51 secondary schools across 26 states, with Texas (6), Georgia (5) and Florida (4) fielding the most candidates.
Semi-finalists are expected to be named Nov. 1, finalists Nov. 22, and winners on or before Dec. 7. Appearing on the watch list is not a requirement to win the award.
The 2020 Butkus Award winners:
- Collegiate: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame (now Cleveland Browns)
- High School: Prince Kollie, David Crockett, Jonesborough, Tenn. (now Notre Dame)
Formed in 1985, the Butkus Award honors linebackers at three levels while supporting causes important to the Butkus family. Causes include Butkus Takes Heart™ initiative encouraging early cardiovascular screening among adults, and the I Play Clean® initiative encouraging athletes to train naturally without performance-enhancing drugs.
The Butkus Award is partnering with Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage to celebrate Butkus Award winners. The event is scheduled Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. Contact the Butkus Foundation for ticket and sponsorship information.
The Butkus Award® is presented by the Butkus Foundation and selected by a 51-member expert panel of coaches, scouts and journalists. The award is part of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards. NCFAA's 25 awards have honored more than 800 recipients since 1935. Visit www.NCFAA.org for more information.
2021 COLLEGIATE WATCH LIST | 2021 HIGH SCHOOL WATCH LIST | |||||||
ATHLETE | UNIVERSITY | ATHLETE | HIGH SCHOOL | CITY | STATE | |||
| Christopher | Allen | Alabama | T.J. | Dudley | Montgomery Catholic | Montgomery | AL | |
| Will | Anderson | Alabama | Robert | Woodyard | Lillie B. Williamson | Mobile | AL | |
| Christian | Harris | Alabama* | Tristan | Monday | Saguaro | Scottsdale | AZ | |
| Merlin | Robertson | Arizona State | David | Bailey | Mater Dei | Santa Ana | CA | |
| Grant | Morgan | Arkansas* | Niuafe | Tuihalamaka | Bishop Alemany | Mission Hills | CA | |
| Bumper | Pool | Arkansas | Edwin | Kolenge | Loomis Chaffee | Windsor | CT | |
| Zakoby | McClain | Auburn | Wesley | Bissainthe | Miami Central | Miami | FL | |
| Terrel | Bernard | Baylor | Melvin | Jordan | Calvary Christian | Clearwater | FL | |
| James | Patterson | Buffalo | Travious | Lathan | Gulliver Prep | Pinecrest | FL | |
| Payton | Wilgar | BYU | DeMario | Tolan | Dr. Phillips | Orlando | FL | |
| James | Skalski | Clemson | Daniel | Martin | Marietta | Marietta | GA | |
| Baylon | Spector | Clemson | Aubrey | Smith | Buford | Buford | GA | |
| Nate | Landman | Colorado* | C.J. | Washington | Cedartown | Cedartown | GA | |
| Ventrell | Miller | Florida | Donovan | Westmoreland | Griffin | Griffin | GA | |
| Amari | Gainer | Florida State | Jaron | Willis | Lee County | Leesburg | GA | |
| Adam | Anderson | Georgia | Tevarua | Tafiti | Punahou | Honolulu | HI | |
| Nakobe | Dean | Georgia* | Jared | Badie | Oswego East | Oswego | IL | |
| Quay | Walker | Georgia | Sebastian | Cheeks | Evanston Township | Evanston | IL | |
| Jake | Hansen | Illinois | Dasan | McCullough | Bloomington South | Bloomington | IN | |
| Micah | McFadden | Indiana | Javae | Gilmore | Amite | Amite City | LA | |
| Mike | Rose | Iowa State | Tyler | Martin | Buckingham Browne & Nichols | Cambridge | MA | |
| Damone | Clark | LSU | Jaishawn | Barham | St. Frances Academcy | Baltimore | MD | |
| Lakia | Henry | Mississippi | Joshua | Burnham | Traverse City Central | Traverse City | MI | |
| Sam | Williams | Mississippi | Michael | Williams | West Bloomfield | West Bloomfield | MI | |
| Blaze | Alldredge | Missouri | Nolan | Ziegler | Catholic Central | Grand Rapids | MI | |
| Jeremiah | Gemmel | North Carolina | Stone | Blanton | Madison-Ridgeland Academy | Madison | MS | |
| Payton | Wilson | North Carolina State | Xavier | Simmons | Northwest Guilford | Greensboro | NC | |
| Jackson | Hankey | North Dakota State | Jalon | Walker | Salisbury | Salisbury | NC | |
| Chris | Bergin | Northwestern | Torren | Wright | A L Brown | Kannapolis | NC | |
| Brian | Asamoah | Oklahoma | Devon | Jackson | Harry A. Burke | Omaha | NE | |
| Nik | Bonnito | Oklahoma | Zion | Cheeks | Penns Grove | Carneys Point | NJ | |
| Malcolm | Rodriguez | Oklahoma State | Nyair | Graham | Camden | Camden | NJ | |
| Noah | Sewell | Oregon | C.J. | Hicks | Archbishop Alter | Dayton | OH | |
| Avery | Roberts | Oregon State | Gabe | Powers | Marysville | Marysville | OH | |
| Jesse | Luketa | Penn State | Emar'rion | Winston | Central Catholic | Portland | OR | |
| Brandon | Smith | Penn State | Malaki | Hamrick | Perry Traditional Academy | Pittsburgh | PA | |
| Olakunle | Fatukasi | Rutgers* | Anthony | Johnson | Neumann-Goretti | Philadelphia | PA | |
| Jordan | Strachan | South Carolina | Keon | Wylie | Imotech Institute | Philadelphia | PA | |
| Mikel | Jones | Syracuse | Jaylen | Sneed | Hilton Head | Hilton Head | SC | |
| Demarvion | Overshown | Texas | Langston | Patterson | Christ Presbyterian Academy | Nashville | TN | |
| Aaron | Hansford | Texas A&M | Keaten | Wade | Summit | Spring Hill | TN | |
| Colin | Schooler | Texas Tech | Martrell | Harris Jr | The Woodlands | The Woodlands | TX | |
| Carlton | Martial | Troy | Ty | Kana | Katy | Katy | TX | |
| Drake | Jackson | USC | Kip | Lewis | Carthage | Carthage | TX | |
| Devin | Lloyd | Utah** | Kobie | McKinzie | Lubbock Cooper | Lubbock | TX | |
| Anfernee | Orji | Vanderbilt | Justin | Medlock | Manvel | Manvel | TX | |
| Nick | Jackson | Virginia | Harold | Perkins | Cypress Park | Cypress | TX | |
| Zion | Tupuola-Fetui | Washington | Lander | Barton | Brighton | Cottonwood Heights | UT | |
| Edefuan | Ulofoshio | Washington | Harrison | Taggart | Corner Canyon | Draper | UT | |
| Jack | Sanborn | Wisconsin | Shawn | Murphy | Unity Reed | Manassas | VA | |
| Chad | Muma | Wyoming | Dishawn | Misa | Eastside Catholic | Sammamish | WA | |
| Note: * Returning semi-finalist, ** returning finalist | ||||||||
List, selectors and selection criteria published online at www.thebutkusaward.com.
CONTACT:
Ron Arp
[email protected]
SOURCE: Butkus Foundation