As the 2013 College Football season approaches, it’s fun to speculate who is going to win everything: the national title, conference champions, award winners, etc. Here is our fun. The Butkus Award is given to the best linebacker in Division I football. Here are our predictions....
“When a player receives the Butkus Award he will know two things. First, he is recognized as the best of the best linebackers in America. Second, and in the long run most important, he will understand that this recognition brings a responsibility to serve others by giving back.” - Dick Butkus
The Front Runners
1. CJ Mosley (Alabama)
2012 Statistics: 107 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble
Mosley is widely considered the best linebacker in college football, and with good reason. His all-around skill set is among the elite. Since Alabama runs a 3-4 base defense, Mosley sees a lot of opportunities to make tackles as an inside linebacker. However, he also has the ability to get into the backfield, blitz and play in coverage. These skills, commonly traits of a outside linebacker of a 4-3 defense, give Nick Saban versatility with his Crimson Tide defense. Mosley is the leader of the defense and will be the top playmaker this upcoming season for Alabama. He enters this season as the early favorite for the Butkus award, as he has the two most important qualities needed to win a postseason award: the statistics and the name recognition.
2. Ryan Shazier (Ohio State)
2012 Statistics: 116 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 10 passes deflected, 3 forced fumbles
Shazier is a linebacker with the size and speed of a safety. Although he is only listed at 6’2” and 222 lbs, Shazier has no problem being a playmaker in the box. He has great speed and is extremely disruptive at the line. His most telling stat from last season: 17 tackles for loss. Shazier uses his speed to get into the backfield and disrupt running plays. With his size, he also has solid abilities in coverage and can run with tight ends and slot receivers. He is the complete package at outside linebacker, and will put up great numbers for an Ohio State team that is eyeing a national title opportunity after a year on probation.
3. Anthony Barr (UCLA)
2012 Statistics: 82 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 5 passes broken up, 4 forced fumbles
Barr is a different breed of linebacker than Shazier and Mosley. While the other two tend to be more prototypical linebackers for a 4-3 defense, Barr is a primarily pass rushing linebacker. However, he is the best pass rushing linebacker in college football. A former running back, Barr is incredibly quick and had a breakout season for the Bruins in 2012, his first full season as a linebacker. The scariest part is that he is still developing. His numbers can be even better in 2013. Although he may not put up the total tackle numbers that Shazier and Mosley will, he will put up extremely high numbers in tackles for loss and sacks.
Sleeper: Jordan Hicks (Texas)
2012 Statistics: 23 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 pass deflected (2+ games)
Prior to his hip injury in 2012, Hicks was the leader of the talented Longhorns defense, which began the season with Jackson Jeffcoat, Alex Okafor and Kenny Vaccaro. He was primed for a strong season, after performing well in 2011, tallying 65 total tackles in only eight starts. He started well, making 23 tackles in less than three full games. Unfortunately, he suffered a hip injury against Ole Miss that sidelined him for the rest of 2012. Hicks has the talent to be one of the best linebackers in college football. He won the high school Butkus award in 2009. This season, he will be heavily relied upon as the Longhorns move into 2013 without Okafor and Vaccaro, as both have moved onto the NFL.
The Best of the Rest
Jeremiah Attaochu (Georgia Tech)
Lamin Barrow (LSU)
Chris Borland (Wisconsin)
Jonathan Brown (Illinois)
Max Bullough (Michigan State)
Trey DePriest (Alabama)
Adrian Hubbard (Alabama)
Andrew Jackson (Western Kentucky)
AJ Johnson (Tennessee)
Christian Jones (Florida State)
Khalil Mack (Buffalo)
Trent Murphy (Stanford)
Hayes Pullard (USC)
Shayne Skov (Stanford)
Yawin Smallwood (Connecticut)
Kyle Van Noy (BYU)