Given annually to the nation’s top linebacker, the Butkus Award announced its group of semifinalists Monday morning.
Among the dozen players named is Alabama’s C.J. Mosley, a semifinalist and finalist for the award last year that was won by Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o. Mosley is the only player on this year’s list who was a semifinalist in 2012.
A full one-third of the players on the semifinalists list come from the Pac-12. The Big Ten and SEC, with two each, are the only other conferences with more than one semifinalist.
Below is the complete list of semifinalists released earlier today.
Anthony Barr, UCLA
Lamin Barrow, LSU
Chris Borland, Wisconsin
Khairi Fortt, Cal
Khalil Mack, Buffalo
C.J. Mosley, Alabama
Denzel Perryman, Miami
Trevor Reilly, Utah
Ryan Shazier, Ohio State
Shayne Skov, Stanford
Yawin Smallwood, Connecticut
Kyle Van Noy, BYU