2017 Butkus Award Watch List Released

If the ACC is taking over as the most dominant conference in the FBS, someone forgot to tell the folks that put together the Butkus Awards watch list. That, or someone forgot to tell the talented young linebackers in the country.
The first watch list was released on Monday, and it featured a number of SEC players.In fact, there were more players from the SEC named to the list than any other conference.
The annual award given to the most outstanding linebacker in the country included 11 players from the SEC on its first list of the season. The ACC, and Big 10, and PAC 12 trailed closely behind. The Big 12 figures to have the weakest linebacking corps of any conference in the country. The last of the Power Five conference only managed to land two players on the watch list.
The PAC 12 finished with 10 total players on the list, while the ACC, and Big 10 each made nine appearance.
Notable players include finalist from 2016, Iowa’s Josey Jewell. A number of semifinalists were also named to this years list, including: Ohio State’s Jerome Baker, Texas’ Malik Jefferson, Virginia’s Micah Kiser, Washington’s Azeem Victor, and Wisconsin’s Jack Cichy.
The list was published on the website that is dedicated to the Butkus Award.
You can see the entire list below:

  • Genard Avery, Memphis
  • Jerome Baker, Ohio State
  • Davin Bellamy, Georgia
  • Keishawn Bierria, Washington
  • Eric Boggs, Appalachian State
  • Oren Burks, Vanderbilt
  • Jason Cabinda, Penn State
  • Lorenzo Carter, Georgia
  • Jermaine Carterq, Maryland
  • Jack Cichy, Wisconsin
  • Koron Crump, Arizona State
  • Nick DeLuca, North Dakota State
  • Devante Downs, California
  • Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech
  • T.J. Edwards, Wisconsin
  • Rashaan Evans, Alabama
  • DeMarquis Gates, Mississippi
  • Dre Greenlaw, Arkansas
  • Shaquem Griffin, UCF
  • Porter Gustin, USC
  • Shaun Dion Hamilton, Alabama
  • James Hearns, Louisville
  • Manase Hungalu, Oregon State
  • Malik Jefferson, Texas
  • Josey Jewell, Iowa
  • Jordan Jones, Kentucky
  • Kendall Joseph, Clemson
  • Junior Joseph, UConn
  • Peter Kalambayi, Stanford
  • Arden Key, LSU
  • Micah Kiser, Virginia
  • Darius Leonard, South Carolina State
  • Mike McCray, Michigan
  • Skai Moore, South Carolina
  • Airius Moore, North Carolina State
  • Nyles Morgan, Notre Dame
  • Uchenna Nwosu, USC
  • Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma
  • D.J. Palmore, Navy
  • Jacob Pugh, Florida State
  • Shaquille Quarterman, Miami (Fla.)
  • Tegray Scales, Indiana
  • Cameron Smith, USC
  • Sione Teuhema, Southeastern Lousiana
  • Matthew Thomas, Florida State
  • Azeem Victor, Washington
  • Fred Warner, BYU
  • Tre’ Williams, Auburn
  • Chris Worley, Ohio State
  • Trevon Young, Louisville
  • Kenny Young, UCLA

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