College Football Awards: Butkus Award Winners

Below is a list of past winners of the Dick Butkus award, which is given to the nation's top college linebacker.

YearPlayer, School
2023Payton Wilson, NC State
2022Jack Campbell, Iowa
2021Nakobe Dean, Georgia
2020Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
2019Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
2018Devin White, LSU
2017Roquan Smith, Georgia
2016Reuben Foster, Alabama
2015Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame
2014Eric Kendricks, UCLA
2013C.J. Mosley, Alabama
2012Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
2011Luke Kuechly, Boston College
2010Von Miller, Texas A&M
2009Rolando McClain, Alabama
2008Aaron Curry, Wake Forest
2007James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
2006Patrick Willis, Mississippi
2005Paul Posluszny, Penn State
2004Derrick Johnson, Texas
2003Teddy Lehman, Oklahoma
2002E.J. Henderson, Maryland
2001Rocky Calmus, Oklahoma
2000Dan Morgan, Miami (FL)
1999LaVar Arrington, Penn State
1998Chris Claiborne, USC
1997Andy Katzenmoyer, Ohio State
1996Matt Russell, Colorado
1995Kevin Hardy, Illinois
1994Dana Howard, Illinois
1993Trev Alberts, Nebraska
1992Marvin Jones, Florida State
1991Erick Anderson, Michigan
1990Alfred Williams, Colorado
1989Percy Snow, Michigan State
1988Derrick Thomas, Alabama
1987Paul McGowan, Florida State
1986Brian Bosworth, Oklahoma
1985Brian Bosworth, Oklahoma

More college football awards:

More awards:

Check out more of our content:

Keep track of our site's updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) like us on Facebook and/or (3) subscribe to our newsletter.