I've highlighted Trevor Carter, who is on the list:
The Butkus Award® honoring the nation’s best linebackers continued its annual selection process today by announcing its high school preseason watch list.
The watch list features 51 linebackers, mirroring the legendary “51” pro jersey associated with the award’s namesake, Dick Butkus, who was recognized by NFL Films as the best defensive player in football history.
The high school Butkus Award watch list includes candidates from 21 states, including 11 players from Florida, eight from Georgia, four from Texas, and three from Mississippi and Pennsylvania.
The award semifinalists are expected to be named Oct. 31 with finalists to follow Nov. 21. The winner will be named on or before Dec. 7. Appearing on the watch list is not a requirement to win the award.
“High school football is the very heart of the sport and I enjoy recognizing and watching these players develop as athletes and young men,” said Butkus, the College and Pro Football Hall of Famer. “When an outstanding 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 this recognition brings a responsibility of giving back.”
All 2022 Butkus Award winners will be honored at a televised event on Jan. 21, 2023, at the Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif. CBS Sports Network aired the event last season, featuring Butkus and numerous noted NFL Alumni. To watch the show online via YouTube, visit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRxu2gDu9pI.
Founded in 1985, the Butkus Award honors linebackers at three levels while supporting causes important to the Butkus family. Causes include Butkus Takes Heart™ initiative encouraging early cardiovascular screening among adults, and the I Play Clean® initiative encouraging athletes to train naturally without performance-enhancing drugs. A 51-member expert panel of coaches, scouts and journalists guides the selection process. The Butkus Foundation has presented the high school and professional awards since 2008. The collegiate award is now in its 38th season.
Shawn Murphy from Unity Reed High School in Manassas, Va., was the winner of the award last season. Murphy is now enrolled at Alabama. The other five finalists from a season ago were Joshua Burnham, Traverse City Central, Traverse City, Mich. (Notre Dame); C.J. Hicks, Archbishop Alter, Dayton, Ohio (Ohio State); Harold Perkins, Cypress Park, Cypress, Texas (LSU); Jaylen Sneed, Hilton Head, Hilton Head, S.C. (Notre Dame); and Jalon Walker, Salisbury, Salisbury, N.C. (Georgia).
Nakobe Dean, the 2021 winner of the collegiate Butkus Award while playing for National Champion Georgia, was just the third player to win both the collegiate and high school Butkus Awards. The Horn Lake, Miss., product, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, joined Jaylon Smith (Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne, Ind., and Notre Dame) and Manti Te’o (Punahou School, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Notre Dame) in that distinction.
The complete 51-man Butkus Award preseason high school watch list follows:
Leonard Ah You (Kahuka, Hawaii [Kahuka])
Tausili Akana (Lehi, Utah [Skyridge])
C.J. Allen (Barnesville, Ga. [Lamar County])
Jamal Anderson (Hoschton, Ga. [Mill Creek])
Jaiden Ausberry (Baton Rouge, La. [University Laboratory])
Drayk Bowen (Merriville, Ind. [Andrean])
Troy Bowles (Tampa, Fla. [Jesuit])
Christian Brathwaite (Cypress, Texas [Cypress Ranch])
Semaj Bridgeman (Warminster, Pa. [Archbishop Wood])
Jayvant Brown (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. [St. Thomas Aquinas])
Malik Bryant (Orlando, Fla. [Jones])
Lewis Carter (Tampa, Fla. [Tampa Catholic])
Trevor Carter (Ironton, Ohio [Ironton])
Stanquan Clark (Miami, Fla. [Miami Central])
Dee Crayton (Alpharetta, Ga. [Denmark])
Justin Cryer (Brookshire, Texas [Royal])
Tackett Curtis (Many, La. [Many])
Tre Edwards (Chula Vista, Calif. [Mater Dei Catholic])
Palaie Faoa (Las Vegas, Nev. [Bishop Gorman])
Troy Ford (Savannah, Ga. [Calvary Day])
Grant Godfrey (Suwanee, Ga. [North Gwinnett])
Derion Gullette (Teague, Texas [Teague])
Jordan Hall (Bradenton, Fla. [IMG Academy])
Jaybron Harvey (Durham, N.C. [Southern Durham])
Caleb Herring (Murfreesboro, Tenn. [Riverdale])
Anthony Hill (Denton, Texas [Ryan])
Tabias Hinton (Hattiesburg, Miss. [Hattiesburg])
Grayson Howard (Jacksonville, Fla. [Andrew Jackson])
Ty Jones (Bay Springs, Miss. [Bay Springs])
Matt Kingsbury (Chicago, Ill. [St. Rita])
Ben Kueter (Iowa City, Iowa [Iowa City])
Liona Lefau (Kahuka, Hawaii [Kahuka])
David Loch (Elmhurst, Ill. [York])
Corey Lucius (Tampa, Fla. [Tampa Catholic])
Wyatt Milkovic (Chandler, Ariz. [Basha])
Zyian Moultrie-Gooddard (New Rochelle, N.Y. [Iona Prep])
Karmelo Overton (Ozark, Ala. [Carroll])
Suntarine Perkins (Raleigh, Miss. [Raleigh])
Phil Picciotti (Bradenton, Fla. [IMG Academy])
Jalen Rambert (Greenville, S.C. [Powdersville])
Arvell Reese (Cleveland, Ohio [Glenville])
Ta’Mere Robinson (Pittsburgh, Pa. [Brashear])
Jaden Robinson (Lake City, Fla. [Columbia])
Jalen Smith (Loganville, Ga. [Grayson])
Leviticus Su’a (Santa Ana, Calif. [Mater Dei Catholic])
Jeremiah Telander (Gainesville, Ga. [Gainesville])
Josiah Trotter (Philadelphia, Pa. [St. Joseph’s Prep])
Rico Walker (Hickory, N.C. [Hickory])
Whit Weeks (Watkinsville, Ga. [Oconee County])
Raylen Wilson (Tallahassee, Fla. [Lincoln])
Preston Zinter (Lawrence, Mass. [Central Catholic])