Barrett Carter honored as Butkus Award finalist |
The Butkus Foundation announced today that Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter has been named as one of five finalists for this year’s Butkus Award, presented annually to the nation’s top linebacker.
Carter becomes the seventh Butkus Award finalist in school history, joining Levon Kirkland (1990), Keith Adams (2000), Dorian O'Daniel (2017), Tre Lamar (2018, Isaiah Simmons (2019) and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (2023). Simmons became the first Butkus Award winner in school history when he collected the honor in 2019. This season, Clemson’s coaching staff has credited Carter with 63 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and seven pass breakups. Now in his fourth season in the program, Carter has played in 49 career games with 37 starts for the Tigers, helping Clemson extend its streak of consecutive nine-win seasons to 14 years, tied for the third-longest streak in major college football history. Carter has been a vocal leader of a Clemson senior class that this week will seek its 40th win in the last four years to become the 11th consecutive Clemson senior class to average 10 or more wins per season in their four-year careers. The 51-member Butkus Award selection committee will select top linebackers at the collegiate and high school levels using a 3-2-1 weighted vote with a write-in option. Winners will be named by December 10, with the pro winner selected early 2025. The 51-person Butkus Award selection committee comprised of coaches, scouts and journalists guides the selection process emphasizing qualities that defined Dick Butkus’ career: toughness, on-field leadership, competitiveness, football character and linebacking skills. The Award is increasingly focused on recognizing linebackers who consistently play off the ball on their feet in a two-point stance in traditional form. Last season’s collegiate winner was Payton Wilson of North Carolina State (now Pittsburgh Steelers), the high school winner was Sammy Brown of Jefferson, Ga. (now Clemson) and the pro winner was Roquan Smith of the Baltimore Ravens, who also won the pro award in 2022 and the collegiate award in 2017. While gaining control of the Butkus Award in 2008 Mr. Butkus said, “When an outstanding player receives the Butkus Award he will know two things: first, he is recognized as the best of the best linebackers in the country; second, and in the long run most important, he will understand this recognition brings a responsibility of giving back.” A Butkus Award celebration featuring the 2024 winners is planned Saturday, February 1, 2025, at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois, where the Award’s namesake the late Dick Butkus established his legendary career. The celebration will be featured in the Butkus Award special airing on the Big Ten Network in February 2025. More information will be at available www.butkusfoundation.org. 2024 Collegiate Finalists Barrett Carter, Clemson Chris Paul Jr., Mississippi Carson Schwesinger, UCLA Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma Jalon Walker, Georgia
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