In week two of our Watch List countdown, the Butkus Award released its 2014 preseason watch list. The Butkus is awarded to the nation’s best linebacker, and two Sooners keep high on the country’s radar.
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Eric Striker and Frank Shannon, who racked up the tackles last year, were named to the Butkus Award Watch List.
Both guys helped lead the charge last year, earning All-Big 12 honors while helping Oklahoma to a huge Sugar Bowl victory.
Oklahoma has seen three Butkus Award winners. Teddy Lehman (2003) and Rocky Calmus (2001) were instrumental in those great early 2000 defenses. Brian Bosworth was the first player to ever win the award, and won it back-to-back years in 1985 and 1986.
Oklahoma’s made a strong presence on these watch lists, and there are still four more to come this week.
Here is the entire Butkus Award Watch List:
- Stephone Anthony, Clemson
- Kelby Brown, Duke
- Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil, Maryland
- Dyshawn Davis, Syracuse
- Aaron Davis, Colorado State
- Paul Dawson, TCU
- Trey DePriest, Alabama
- Steve Edmond, Texas
- Kyler Fackrell, Utah State
- Maurice Falls, East Carolina
- Leonard Floyd, Georgia
- Kris Frost, Auburn
- Alani Fua, BYU
- Jarrett Grace, Notre Dame
- Curtis Grant, Ohio State
- Bryce Hager, Baylor
- Ben Heeney, Kansas
- Jordan Hicks, Texas
- Zach Hodges, Harvard
- Mike Hull, Penn State
- Myles Jack, UCLA
- Jordan Jenkins, Georgia
- A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
- Taiwan Jones, Michigan State
- Eric Kendricks, UCLA
- Hau’oli Kikaha, Washington
- Derrick Malone, Oregon
- Tyler Matakevich, Temple
- Derrick Matthews, Houston
- Lorenzo Mauldin, Louisville
- Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State
- Braylon Mitchell, Arkansas
- Mason Monheim, Illinois
- Mike Orakpo, Texas State
- Norkeithus Otis, North Carolina
- Denzel Perryman, Miami (Fla.)
- Terrance Plummer, UCF
- Sunny Puetasi, Wyoming
- Hayes Pullard, USC
- Reggie Ragland, Alabama
- Jake Ryan, Michigan
- Stephon Sanders, SMU
- Frank Shannon, Oklahoma
- Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame
- Terrance Smith, Florida State
- Eric Striker, Oklahoma
- A.J. Tarpley, Stanford
- John Tavai, USC
- Shaq Thompson, Washington
- James Vaughters, Stanford
- Ramik Wilson, Georgia
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