The Butkus award, given annually to college football’s top linebacker has been one of the greatest honors in all of collegiate sports. Named after the College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, the award has been given out to football’s hardest hitters since 1985.
2014 Butkus Award Watch List:
- Stephone Anthony, Clemson
- Kelby Brown, Duke
- Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil, Maryland
- Dyshawn Davis, Syracuse
- Aaron Davis, Colorado State
- Paul Dawson, TCU
- Trey DePriest, Alabama
- Steve Edmond, Texas
- Kyler Fackrell, Utah State
- Maurice Falls, East Carolina
- Leonard Floyd, Georgia
- Kris Frost, Auburn
- Alani Fua, BYU
- Jarrett Grace, Notre Dame
- Curtis Grant, Ohio State
- Bryce Hager, Baylor
- Ben Heeney, Kansas
- Jordan Hicks, Texas
- Zach Hodges, Harvard
- Mike Hull, Penn State
- Myles Jack, UCLA
- Jordan Jenkins, Georgia
- A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
- Taiwan Jones, Michigan State
- Eric Kendricks, UCLA
- Hau’oli Kikaha, Washington
- Derrick Malone, Oregon
- Tyler Matakevich, Temple
- Derrick Matthews, Houston
- Lorenzo Mauldin, Louisville
- Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State
- Braylon Mitchell, Arkansas
- Mason Monheim, Illinois
- Mike Orakpo, Texas State
- Norkeithus Otis, North Carolina
- Denzel Perryman, Miami (Fla.)
- Terrance Plummer, UCF
- Sunny Puetasi, Wyoming
- Hayes Pullard, USC
- Reggie Ragland, Alabama
- Jake Ryan, Michigan
- Stephon Sanders, SMU
- Frank Shannon, Oklahoma
- Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame
- Terrance Smith, Florida State
- Eric Striker, Oklahoma
- A.J. Tarpley, Stanford
- John Tavai, USC
- Shaq Thompson, Washington
- James Vaughters, Stanford
- Ramik Wilson, Georgia