CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / November 22, 2021 / Finalists for the 37^th annual Butkus Award® honoring the nation's best collegiate linebackers were announced today by the Butkus Foundation.

Butkus Award 2021 Collegiate Finalists

Darrian Beavers, Cincinnati
Nakobe Dean, Georgia
Damone Clark, LSU
Devin Lloyd, Utah
Leo Chenal, Wisconsin
Chad Muma, Wyoming

Butkus Award 2021 High School Finalists

Joshua Burnham, Traverse City Central, Traverse City, Mich.
Jalon Walker, Salisbury, Salisbury, NC
C.J. Hicks, Archbishop Alter, Dayton, Ohio
Jaylen Sneed, Hilton Head, Hilton Head, S.C.
Harold Perkins, Cypress Park, Cypress, Texas
Shawn Murphy, Unity Reed, Manassas, Va.

Selection is handled by a panel of 51 coaches, recruiters, scouts and journalists who vote separately and confidentially using a 3-2-1 process, with a write-in option offered. Selectors and selection criteria are posted at www.thebutkusaward.com. The winners for high school and college awards will be announced on or before December 7.

The Butkus Award is partnering with Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa, Rancho Mirage, Calif. to celebrate Butkus Award winners. The event is scheduled Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. Contact the Butkus Foundation for ticket and sponsorship information.

The 2020 Butkus Award winners:

Collegiate: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame (now Cleveland Browns)
High School: Prince Kollie, David Crockett, Jonesborough, Tenn. (now Notre Dame)
Professional: T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Butkus Award® is presented by the Butkus Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization which advances health and wellness through special initiatives. This includes the I Play Clean® program encouraging athletes to play using their natural ability, and the Butkus Takes Heart™ program encouraging preventive heart scans and screening among adults.

The Butkus Award a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards. NCFAA's 25 awards have honored more than 800 since 1935.

SOURCE: Butkus Foundation