Eight ACC Linebackers Named to 2025 Butkus Award Preseason Watch List

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Eight excellent Atlantic Coast Conference linebackers have been named to the 2025 Butkus Award Preseason Watch List, as introduced right now by the Butkus Foundation.
 
The Butkus Award, one in every of faculty soccer’s most revered honors, acknowledges the nation’s prime linebacker—a homage to the fierce, no-nonsense legacy of Dick Butkus, whose No. 51 jersey turned a logo of dominance on the sector.
 
This watch checklist options 51 of one of the best linebackers within the nation, a nod to Butkus’ iconic quantity, and consists of elite defenders from 39 packages throughout the nation.
 
ACC Players Named to the 2025 Butkus Award Preseason Watch List
Name, School, Class
Sammy Brown, Clemson, Sophomore
Wade Woodaz, Clemson, Senior
Stanquan Clark, Louisville, Junior    
Wesley Bissainthe, Miami, Senior
Andrew Simpson, North Carolina, Redshirt Senior
Rasheem Biles, Pitt, Junior
Kyle Louis, Pitt, Redshirt Junior
Caleb Woodson, Virginia Tech, Junior                                                            
               
Semifinalists will probably be named on November 4, whereas finalists will probably be introduced on November 25. The winner will probably be revealed by December 10. Appearing on the watch checklist is just not a requirement to win the award. The 2025 winner will probably be honored at a ceremony on the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium in early 2026.
 
The 51-member choice committee, comprised of coaches, scouts, and journalists, evaluates candidates primarily based on the qualities that outlined Butkus’ profession: toughness, management, competitiveness, soccer character, and conventional linebacking expertise.
 
The Butkus Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses faculty soccer’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored greater than 950 recipients since 1935. Visit NCFAA.org for extra data.