Butkus Award | July 18, 2016 College football: 2016 Butkus Award preseason watch list announced Share CHICAGO – The 32nd annual Butkus Award® honoring the nation’s best linebackers kicked off its 2016 selection process today by announcing its collegiate preseason watch list. Mirroring the legendary “51” pro jersey of the award’s namesake Dick Butkus whom NFL Films considers the best defensive player in football history, each watch list features 51 players who will be reviewed by a 51-person selection panel of deeply experienced coaches, talent evaluators and journalists who vote by private ballot. Appearance on the watch list is not required to become a semifinalist. The Collegiate Butkus Award watch list includes candidates from 44 universities. It includes one returning finalist, Raekwon McMillan of Ohio State, who won the 2013 national high school Butkus Award. Semifinalists will be named Oct. 31, finalists Nov. 21, and winners will be notified on or before Dec. 6. The 2015 Butkus Award winners: Professional: Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers Collegiate: Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame (now Dallas Cowboys) High School: Caleb Kelly, Clovis West, Calif. (now Oklahoma) MORE: Check here for full preseason watch lists Formed in 1985, the Butkus Award was expanded in 2008 to honor linebackers at three levels while helping spread the word about Butkus’ I Play Clean™ initiative which encourages teens to eat well, train hard, and play with attitude instead of resorting to performance-enhancing drugs. More information is available at www.iplayclean.org. The Butkus Award, www.thebutkusaward.com and on Facebook at 51.butkus, is presented by the Butkus Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization. The Butkus Award is part of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which includes the 22 most prestigious awards in college football with 722 years of selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org for more information. Player School Ryan Anderson Alabama Kendall Beckwith LSU Vince Biegel Wisconsin Dante Booker Ohio State Ben Boulware Clemson Tyus Bowser Houston Richie Brown Mississippi State Riley Bullough Michigan State Jason Cabinda Penn State Jeff Camilli Fresno State Lorenzo Carter Georgia Jermaine Carter Maryland Zach Cunningham Vanderbilt Kevin Davis Colorado State Jarrad Davis Florida Nick DeLuca North Dakota State Brooks Ellis Arkansas Jordan Evans Oklahoma Devonte' Fields Louisville Salamo Fiso Arizona State Reuben Foster Alabama T.J. Holloman South Carolina Travin Howard TCU Shane Huber Massachusetts Malik Jefferson Texas Josey Jewell Iowa Peter Kalambayi Stanford Harvey Langi BYU Keith Kelsey Louisville Micah Kiser Virginia Elijah Lee Kansas State Raekwon McMillan Ohio State Matt Milano Boston College Charmeachealle Moore Kansas State Nyles Morgan Notre Dame Calvin Munson San Diego State Hardy Nickerson Illinois Jalen Reeves-Maybin Tennessee T.J. Ricks Old Dominion Auggie Sanchez South Florida Michael Scherer Missouri Cameron Smith USC Steven Taylor Houston Austin Valdez Bowling Green Tanner Vallejo Boise State Azeem Victor Washington Anthony Walker Northwestern Nyeem Warman-White Penn State Tim Williams Alabama Eric Wilson Cincinnati Taylor Young Baylor Division I Football Committee announces championship host sites The NCAA Division I Football Championship committee announced today 14 predetermined preliminary round sites for this year’s Division I Football Championship. READ MORE DII Report: Colorado Mesa tops the first DII baseball Power 10 rankings of the season It's the first Power 10 rankings of the DII baseball season. While many of the teams remain the same as our preseason top 25 rankings, we welcome some new faces to the mix. READ MORE Division I Football Championship Committee reveals top 10 The Division I Football Championship Committee released a top-10 ranking on Thursday, April 1. James Madison is No. 1. READ MORE