TCU Football: Winters Named To Butkus Award Watch List

This annual award recognizes the nation’s top linebacker

© SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Add another player from the TCU Horned Frogs football team to watch this coming season. Dee Winters became the latest player to be named to a preseason watch list for one of the postseason honors. He has been named to the watch list for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top linebacker.

The Butkus Award is given annually to the best high school, college, and professional top linebackers in the nation. It was instituted in 1985 and is named after College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame Dick Butkus, who played at Illinois from 1962-1964 before playing nine seasons for the Chicago Bears in the NFL.

Last year’s college award went to Nakobe Dean of Georgia. Other Big 12 players on the watch list this year are DeMarvion Overshown (Texas) and David Ugwoegbu (Oklahoma).

TCU center Steve Avila and linebacker Dee Winters at this year's Big 12 Media Days / Barry Lewis

A total of 51 players were named to this year’s preseason watch list. For the complete watch list, click here.

Winters started all 12 games last season and totaled a team-best 74 tackles, including 5.0 for loss with a sack, two interceptions, two pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries. He enters the 2022 campaign with 167 career stops, the most among current Horned Frogs. He also leads all active TCU players with three career double-digit tackle games.

Butkus Award Watchlist 👀@dwintersdos is up for the best LB in the country. #GoFrogs #DFWBig12Team pic.twitter.com/cl1DVfooYG

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) July 25, 2022

A senior from Brenham, Texas, Winters posted a career-high 12 stops, including nine solo, against West Virginia last season and tied a then career-best with ten tackles, one for loss, in the 52-31 win at Texas Tech. He tied for the team lead with eight stops in the 30-28 victory over Baylor. He had eight tackles and his second interception of the season in the 31-28 win against Kansas.

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