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Three Georgia commits among semifinalists for Butkus Award

Jake Reuseby: Jake Reuse11/06/23ReuseRecruiting
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 03 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game - Oregon vs Georgia
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 03: Georgia Bulldogs Co-Defensive Coordinator Glenn Schumann directs a drill during warmups before the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game between the Oregon Ducks and the Georgia Bulldogs on September 03, 2022, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.(Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Georgia put together a wildly impressive linebacker recruiting class in the 2022 cycle, marked with three signees in the semifinalist rankings for the High School Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top high school linebacker. Amazingly enough, the Dawgs have repeated the feat in 2023 with all three inside linebacker commits among the twelve prospects announced as semifinalists on Monday.

Oak Ridge (Conroe, Texas) linebacker Justin Williams, Salem (Salem, Virginia) linebacker Chris Cole, and Fairfax (Fairfax, Virginia) linebacker Kris Jones made the cut for the prestigious award. Current Georgia linebackers Raylen Wilson, CJ Allen, Troy Bowles were those who made the cut last year, with Wilson making it to the finalist category in 2022.

Previously, Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean won the High School Butkus Award, as well as winning the collegiate honor during his time in Athens. Roquan Smith also secured the honor as the nation’s top linebacker for his work with the Bulldogs.

As for the 2023 group, Williams is currently ranked as the No. 9 prospect in the country and a Five-Star Plus+ prospect per the On3 Industry Ranking. He is the No. 1 rated linebacker on all four major recruiting services and is Georgia’s second-highest rated commitment of the cycle. He has been committed to the Bulldogs since late July. The Bulldogs held off the likes of Oregon and Texas for his services.

Cole, meanwhile, is the No. 45 overall prospect in the country for the Class of 2023 and the No. 4 linebacker per the Industry Ranking. He pledged his services to the Bulldogs in early September, opting for Georgia over Tennessee and Virginia Tech.

Jones rounds out the group at No. 150 in the nation and chose Georgia in late July, passing on heavy pursuits from Penn State and Florida in the process.

Georgia currently has three linebacker commits in the top 15 nationally, a mark tied only by the Florida Gators.

More on the Butkus Award

Per a press release:

Founded in 1985, the Butkus Award honors linebackers at three levels while supporting causes important to the Butkus family. Causes include Butkus Takes Heart™ initiative encouraging early cardiovascular screening among adults, and the I Play Clean® initiative encouraging athletes to train naturally without performance-enhancing drugs. A 51-member expert panel of coaches, scouts and journalists guides the selection process. The Butkus Foundation has presented the high school and professional awards since 2008. The collegiate award is now in its 39th season.

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