The 15 semifinals for the Butkus Award, which honors the nation’s top linebacker, was released Monday.
Three nominees hail from Alabama, the most of any state. The only other state with multiple semifinalists is Georgia.
The finalists will be announced on Nov. 25 and the winner will be announced at a date to be determined in early December.
A panel of 51 coaches, recruiters, scouts and journalists vote for the award, which is named in honor of Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus.
Last year’s winner was Nakobe Dean of Horn Lake (Mississippi), who is now at Georgia.
| ATHLETE | HIGH SCHOOL | CITY | STATE | ||
| Sergio Allen | Peach County | Fort Valley | GA | ||
| Jordan Botelho | Saint Louis School | Honlulu | HI | ||
| Jackson Bratton | Muscle Shoals | Muscle Shoals | AL | ||
| Bryson Eason | Whitehaven | Memphis | TN | ||
| Justin Flowe | Upland | Upland | CA | ||
| Demouy Kennedy | Theodore | Theodore | AL | ||
| Quandarrius Robinson | Jackson-Olin | Birgmingham | AL | ||
| Antoine Sampah | Woodbridge | Woodbridge | VA | ||
| Damian Sellers | Saguaro | Scottsdale | AZ | ||
| Noah Sewell | Orem | Orem | UT | ||
| Mekhail Sherman | St. John’s College | Washington | DC | ||
| Trenton Simpson | Mallard Creek | Charlotte | NC | ||
| Sav’ell Smalls | Kennedy Catholic | Burien | WA | ||
| Kevin Swint | Carrollton | Carrollton | GA | ||
| Derek Wingo | St. Thomas Aquinas | Fort Lauderdale | FL | ||
Selectors and selection criteria are available at www.thebutkusaward.com
