Three senior linebackers at Ohio State were named Monday to the 2020 Butkus Award Watch List.
Tuf Borland, Baron Browning, and Pete Werner were all among the players named.
The Butkus Award was founded in 1985. Since then, two Buckeyes have won it: Andy Katzenmoyer in 1997, and James Laurinaitis in 2007. Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons won the award in 2019.
You can read the full release from the Butkus Award below.
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CHICAGO – (July 20, 2020) – The Butkus Award® honoring the nation’s best linebackers kicked off its 36th 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 44 universities, including 2019 finalist Micah Parsons of Penn State and 2018 finalist Dylan Moses of Alabama who won the 2016 high school Butkus Award.
The High School Butkus Award watch list includes candidates from 47 secondary schools across 21 states, with Florida (7), Georgia (5) and North Carolina (5) fielding the most candidates.
Semi-finalists are expected to be named November 2, finalists November 23, and winners on or before December 8. Appearing on the watch list is not a requirement to win the award.
The 2019 Butkus Award winners:
- Collegiate: Isaiah Simmons, Clemson (now Arizona Cardinals)
- High School: Justin Flowe, Upland, Calif. (now Oregon)
Formed in 1985 and expanded in 2008, the Butkus Award honors linebackers at three levels while supporting causes important to the Butkus family. They include the I Play Clean® initiative promoting training and nutrition instead of performance-enhancing drugs, and the Butkus Takes Heart™ initiative encouraging early cardiovascular screening among adults.
The Butkus Award, www.thebutkusaward.com, @ButkusAward2020 and on Facebook at 51.butkus, is presented by the nonprofit Butkus Foundation. Selectors and selection criteria are located on the official website. Search social media for #butkusaward2020.
The Butkus Award® is a member 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.
The full list of 2020 collegiate nominees is below.
- Blaze Alldredge, Rice
- Troy Andersen, Montana State
- Rayshard Ashby, Virginia Tech
- Derrick Barnes, Purdue
- Terrel Bernard, Baylor
- Nick Bolton, Missouri
- Tuf Borland, Ohio State
- K.J. Britt, Auburn
- Baron Browning, Ohio State
- Damone Clark, LSU
- Riley Cole, South Alabama
- Jabril Cox, LSU
- Kuony Deng, California
- Paddy Fisher, Northwestern
- Jake Hansen, Illinois
- Treshaun Hayward, Western Michigan
- Lakia Henry, Mississippi
- Anthony Hines, Texas A&M
- Riko Jeffers, Texas Tech
- Buddy Johnson, Texas A&M
- Nate Landman, Colorado
- Shane Lee, Alabama
- Devin Lloyd, Utah
- Carlton Martial, Troy
- Cameron McGrone, Michigan
- Ventrell Miller, Florida
- Dimitri Moore, Vanderbilt
- Dylan Moses, Alabama
- Amen Ogbongbemiga, Oklahoma State
- Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
- Joseph Ossai, Texas
- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
- Micah Parsons, Penn State
- Hamilcar Rashed Jr., Oregon State
- Monty Rice, Georgia
- Max Richardson, Boston College
- Merlin Robertson, Arizona State
- Malcolm Rodriguez, Oklahoma State
- Mike Rose, Iowa State
- Jack Sanborn, Wisconsin
- James Skalski, Clemson
- Isaac Slade-Matautia, Oregon
- Charles Snowden, Virginia
- Chazz Surratt, North Carolina
- Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State
- Henry To’o To’o, Tennessee
- Joe Tryon, Washington
- Garret Wallow, TCU
- Pete Werner, Ohio State
- DaShaun White, Oklahoma
- Jahad Woods, Washington State