Higgins, Jackson on Butkus Watch List

Hawkeye Seniors in Running for Top LB Award

Nov 11, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Jay Higgins (34) tackles Rutgers Scarlet Knights running back Samuel Brown V (27) during the game at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson have been named to the Butkus Award Watch List, it was announced Tuesday.

 

Higgins and Jackson are two of 51 linebackers named to the watch list this season – a nod to the storied “51” pro jersey worn by the award’s namesake, the late Dick Butkus.  Candidates represent 44 colleges and universities and includes two 2023 semifinalists – Higgins and Alabama’s Deontae Lawson.

 

Iowa is one of seven programs, along with Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, South Carolina and Utah, to have two linebackers on the list.

 

Higgins (6-foot-2, 232 pounds) recorded 171 tackles (79 solo, 92 assists) during the 2023 season, which led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally.  The tackle total tied Iowa’s single-season record.  The Indianapolis native was a FWAA first-team All-American.

 

This season, Higgins is Phil Steele’s Preseason National Defensive Player of the Year.  He is also on the watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award and Wuerffel Award, while being a preseason first-team All-America selection.

 

Jackson (6-2, 235), finished with 110 tackles (51 solo, 59 assists) to rank second on the team and fourth in the Big Ten in his first season as a Hawkeye.  The Atlanta native earned third-team All-Big Ten honors by the league media and honorable mention recognition by the league coaches in 2023.

 

Jackson, who enters his sixth year with 464 tackles – the 12th-most in FBS history – has also been named to the Nagurski and Bednarik Watch Lists leading into the 2024 campaign.

 

Jack Campbell won the Butkus Award in 2022, while Larry Station finished second in the voting in 1985.  Josey Jewell was a finalist in 2016 and the program had semifinalists in 2005 (Chad Greenway), 2017 (Jewell), 2021 (Campbell) and 2023 (Higgins).

 

Award semifinalists are expected to be named Nov. 4, with finalists named Nov. 25 and the winner named by Dec. 10. Appearing on the watch list is not a requirement to win the award. The 2024 Butkus Award winners at the high school, college and pro level will be honored at an event planned for early 2025 at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois as part of the Big Ten Network television special.

 

The 51-person Butkus Award selection committee comprised of coaches, scouts and journalists guides the selection process emphasizing qualities that defined Dick Butkus’ career: toughness, on-field leadership, competitiveness, football character and linebacking skills. The award is increasingly focused on recognizing linebackers who consistently play off the ball on their feet in a two-point stance in traditional form.

 

The Hawkeyes open the 2024 season Aug. 31, hosting Illinois State at 11 a.m. (CT) inside Kinnick Stadium.  The game is sold out.