CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – University of Illinois linebacker Dylan Rosiek was named to the watch list for the 40th annual collegiate Dick Butkus Award by the Butkus Foundation and the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) on Tuesday.
BUTKUS AWARD
Instituted in 1985, the Butkus Award is one of the elite individual honors, originally given each year to one player in college football: the most impactful linebacker in the game. It is named in honor of Illinois Alum, College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus. In 2008, The Butkus Foundation, took stewardship of the award to fully realize the original purpose of honoring athletic achievement and service to the community. Since that time, the award has honored the nation's best high school, college, and professional linebackers.- Butkus Award website
- Previous Illini to win the award:
- Dana Howard, 1994
- Kevin Hardy, 1995
- Last three winners:
- 2023: Payton Wilson, North Carolina State
- 2022: Jack Campbell, Iowa
- 2021: Nakobe Dean, Georgia
DYLAN ROSIEK
- 2023 All-Big Ten honorable mention (coaches and media) as a sophomore
- Played in all 12 games with eight starts
- Led the Big Ten and tied for third in the nation in forced fumbles (4) during the regular season
- Four forced fumbles marked the fourth-most in Illinois single-season history
- Ranked 14th in the Big Ten in tackles (82) during the regular season, leading the Illini
- Finished eighth in the Big Ten in tackles in conference games (70)
- Recorded a career-high 10 tackles (5 solo) plus two pass breakups vs. Nebraska (10/6/23)
- Posted six tackles, including two tackles for loss, and forced a fumble at Purdue (9/30/23)
- Tied for the team lead with a career-high nine tackles vs. #7 Penn State (9/16/23)
- Tallied eight tackles, all solo, in first-career start vs. Toledo (9/2/23)
ILLINI ON WATCH LISTS (AS OF AUGUST 13)
- Kaden Feagin – Doak Walker
- Zakhari Franklin – Comeback
- Josh McCray – Doak Walker, Comeback
- Dylan Rosiek – Butkus
- Cole Rusk – John Mackey
- Kenenna Odeluga – Wuerffel
