UCLA Football: Several Bruins Make The Butkus and Lombardi Award Watch List
UCLA Football continues to reel-in the pre-season honors as several more Bruins were named to two more watch lists: the Butkus Award (top linebacker) and the Rotary Lombardi Award (top lineman or linebacker). This is the eighth award watch list that has involved UCLA personnel in the last to weeks.
It was widely known that the UCLA football team would have a lot of talent this season, but now it seems they are gushing with skill and experience on both offense and defense as Bruins continue to receive preseason honors. Today, the Bruins were a part of two more preseason award watch lists as nominees for the Butkus Award and the Rotary Lombardi Award were announced.
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Starting with the Dick Butkus Award, which is given to the nation’s top linebacker, the Bruins do-it-all LB Myles Jack was named to the award list, which is a recently familiar award for UCLA football. Last season, UCLA’s defensive leader Eric Kendricks won the award, which was the first time a Bruin was honored with the trophy.
UCLA Bruins
Jack was a semifinalist for the award last season and if he conitues to dominate, he should be one of the finalists to win the Butkus Award this year. The preseason watch list named 51 of the top linebackers in Division I football going into the 2015 season.
As for the Rotary Lombardi Award, four Bruins have been named to the list of 145 total players.
The reason for this is because the Lombardi Award honors a few different positions with a certain set of stipulations: “the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball, or linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage.”
That is a mouthful and understandably why there are over 100 players named to the award watch list.
The Bruins that made the list are OG Caleb Benenoch, DT Kenny Clark, DT Eddie Vanderdoes and LB Myles Jack, all of which that have been named to at least one other award watch list.
Stay with Go Joe Bruin as we continue to bring you more information on Bruins being recognized prior to the 2015 season. Go Bruins!
Dec 31, 2013; El Paso, TX, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive end Eddie Vanderdoes (47) celebrates after winning the 2013 Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl Stadium. UCLA defeated Virginia Tech 42-12. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports