Isaiah Simmons named semifinalist for National Award

Press Release · Monday, November 04 2019

CHICAGO – (November 4, 2019) – Semi-finalists for the 35th annual Butkus Award® honoring the nation’s best linebackers at the collegiate and high school levels were revealed today by the Butkus Foundation. The list includes 12 collegiate and 15 high school linebackers.

Butkus Award 2019 Collegiate Semi-Finalists and College

Joe Bachie, Michigan State

Zack Baun, Wisconsin

Jordyn Brooks, Texas Tech

Tae Crowder, Georgia

Jordan Glasgow, Michigan

Jake Hansen, Illinois

Anfernee Jennings, Alabama

Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma

Micah Parsons, Penn State

Isaiah Simmons, Clemson

Evan Weaver, California

Logan Wilson, Wyoming

The committee noted three probable semi-finalists had their season not been interrupted due to injury; Dylan Moses of Alabama, Markus Bailey of Purdue and Cale Garrett of Missouri.

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.

Finalists in both divisions will be announced November 25, and winners will be announced on or before December 10. The pro winner will be announced in early 2019.

The 2018 Butkus Award winners:

Professional: Khalil Mack, Chicago Bears

Collegiate: Devin White, LSU (now Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

High School: Nakobe Dean, Horn Lake, Miss. (now Georgia)

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.