Notre Dame commit Jordan Botelho has been named to the 2019 Dick Butkus High School Award Watch List.
The Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis prospect is one of 51 players on the watch list for the award, which honors the best high school linebacker in the nation.
Botelho is coming off a strong junior campaign that saw him register 15 sacks,13 tackles for loss and score four defensive touchdowns. He earned invitations to both the All-American Bowl and Polynesian Bowl.
Botelho also a first-team All-Hawaii linebacker selection by USA Today and was named the Cover2 Manti Te’o Award Defensive Player of the Year. Te’o was a Heisman finalist at Notre Dame.
A four-star prospect, Botelho committed to Notre Dame in April over offers from Georgia, LSU, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, USC, Washington and several other major programs.
Botelho is expected to play the drop end position at Notre Dame, which will allow him to use his skillset as a pass rusher.
“The 230-pound standout is a physical defender that plays with an excellent motor,” wrote Blue and Gold Illustrated’s Bryan Driskell. “He shows a good burst off the line and top-notch agility and balance, traits that should allow him to develop a strong pass rush repertoire in college.
“Right now he mostly gets by on speed, strength and a nice rip move, but his game will really explode once he expands his bag of tricks.”
Semifinalists for the award will be named on November 4. Finalists will be announced on November 25th. The winner will be announced on or before December 10.
At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Botelho is ranked as the No. 18 outside linebacker and No. 214 overall recruit in the country, per Rivals.com.
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