For the third time in the last nine years, the Butkus Award that honors the nation’s top linebacker has a Notre Dame recipient.
Senior rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah won the award, first presented in 1985, over four other finalists: Nick Bolton (Missouri), Zaven Collins (Tulsa), Devin Lloyd (Utah) and Monty Rice (Georgia).
The award was presented by football legend Dick Butkus and his son Matt in a surprise announcement during a Notre Dame virtual team meeting on Monday. The 6-1, 215-pound Owusu-Koramoah joins former Fighting Irish standouts Manti Te’o (2012) and Jaylon Smith (2015) as winners of the honor.
He received 30 percent of the weighted vote and 30 percent of the first-place votes, with Collins the runner-up (23 percent of the weighted vote). Bolton (21 percent), Rice (14 percent) and Lloyd (9 percent), rounded out the group, while Northwestern’s Blake Gallagher and Ohio State’s Pete Werner also received votes.
Owusu-Koramoah is tied with sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton for the team lead in tackles with 56, and paces the defense in tackles for loss (11) and forced fumbles (3) — one of them returned by him for a touchdown in the victory over then No. 1 Clemson on Nov. 7. His playmaking skills have helped No. 4-ranked Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff for the second time in three years.
A thunderous hitter with freakish athletic gifts who is projected as a first-round pick, the Hampton, Va., native reflected the strong developmental program at Notre Dame. Owusu-Koramoah arrived after a 4-8 season as a consensus three-star recruit and didn’t even turn 18 until the November of his freshman season.
He redshirted as a freshman, and an injury sidelined him his sophomore season after playing sparingly the first two games. His breakout came as a junior when he and classmate Drew White led the team in tackles with 80 apiece, with Owusu-Koramoah’s 13.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage also the most on the unit. He added four passes broken up and forced two fumbles, and three of his 5.5 sacks came in the Camping World Bowl win versus Iowa State.
Per the selection committee: “Owusu-Koramoah has proven to be an impact defender for one of the nation’s top defenses. He is deployed in many alignments and must be accounted for wherever he aligns on the field. His versatility sets him apart and distinguished his contributions, with the unique ability to defend the pass as well as the run and factor as a weapon blitzing. He possesses an explosive skill set that translated to making plays at every level of the defense.”
Owusu-Koramoah could become the first Notre Dame first-round selection at linebacker since Bob Crable in 1982. Crable is the all-time tackles leader at Notre Dame and is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
The Butkus Award selection committee is comprised of 51 football coaches, recruiters, talent scouts and journalists who study football talent yearlong. Selectors are asked to recognize qualities that defined Butkus’ career: toughness, on-field leadership, competitiveness, football character and linebacking skills. They follow a 3-2-1 weighted vote in a confidential ballot.
A future Notre Dame linebacker also won the high school Butkus Award: four-star signee Prince Kollie.
Kollie, a 6-2, 205-pound linebacker from Jonesborough (Tenn.) David Crockett High School, had 109 tackles (11 for loss), four pass breakups and one interception this season. He was the Tennessee Class 5A Mr. Football award winner and earned an invitation to the 2021 Under Armour All-American Bowl.
“He’s so versatile that a program can do multiple things with him,” said David Crockett coach Hayden Chandley. “You can put 20-25 pounds on him and play him inside the box or put five or 10 pounds on him and really keep his speed and let him play in space more. He’s extremely physical and has a nose for the football. He has good sideline-to-sideline speed and just finds the football. His instincts are off the charts.”
Kollie also rushed 181 times for 1,526 yards and 26 touchdowns. He added 13 catches for 290 yards and three touchdowns.
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