Taking a look at the preseason favorites to win the 2017 Butkus Award, given annually to the country’s top linebacker.
College football watch list season rolled on Monday morning with the reveal of 51 preseason contenders for the 2017 Butkus Award.
Named after the legendary Illinois and Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, the Butkus Award is naturally given out each season to the top linebacker at every level of football. The college version of the award dates back to 1985, and the 51 preseason hopefuls are chosen to match Butkus’ jersey number with the Bears.
While not quite as prestigious as the Heisman Trophy, the Butkus Award is one of the top individual honors in college football and promises another exciting race in 2017. Alabama’s Reuben Foster won the 2016 award before being selected with the 31st overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers, joining past winners like Von Miller and Luke Kuechly in the professional ranks.
Foster may be off to the NFL, but college football still features a ton of returning linebacker talent, including six Butkus semifinalists from last year. Beyond those key returners, linebacker factories like Wisconsin and Alabama figure to have players in the running despite losing so much over the offseason.
These five players stand out as the preseason favorites to take home the 2017 Butkus Award.
Azeem Victor, Washington
If Victor can successfully recover from a devastating injury, he has enough talent to outpace the rest of the competition in the Butkus race.
A three-star recruit out of Pomona, Victor was largely overlooked by Power 5 schools other than Washington. Following a limited freshman season, Victor quickly proved to be a hidden gem with 95 tackles, including 9.5 for loss, six passes defended and a pair of forced fumbles in 2015.
Victor was again among the most productive linebackers in the nation through nine games last season with 68 tackles through nine games to lead a stingy Huskies defense. Unfortunately, Victor suffered a broken leg in the Nov. 12 loss to USC, causing him to miss the final four games of the year, a noticeable absence for the Huskies in the College Football Playoff.
Returning at full strength from such an injury isn’t a given, but Victor recovered quicker than expected and reports from Washington’s spring practices are positive. At 6-foot-2, 232 pounds, Victor is a terrific athlete with a well-rounded game and always seems to be around the ball, giving him the potential to put up even bigger numbers in the future.
Washington lost a lot of talent from last year’s terrific defense, so Victor will be counted on to lead the unit in 2017.