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Texas five-star signee Tyler Atkinson is semi-finalist for The Butkus Award

On3 imageby: Justin Wells2 hours ago

After a superb final season at Grayson High School in Loganville (Ga.), 2025 five-star LB and Texas signee Tyler Atkinson is a semi-finalist for The Butkus Award given out to the nation’s top high school linebacker.

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The Peach State product committed to Texas last summer, choosing the Horns over Georgia, Ohio State, and Alabama. He’s visited Austin numerous times since his verbal pledge.

Atkinson recording 96 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and 22 quarterback hurries in 2025. Atkinson was invited to the Navy All-American Bowl in January.

“Tyler is a generational type of player,” said Dante Williams, head coach of Archer High School according to a press release from Gatorade. “I was the offensive coordinator at Collins Hill from 2019-2021 and lucky enough to coach Travis Hunter, so I think I have an idea of what generational talent looks like. Tyler is it.”


The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one state winner from each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. In total, 610 high school athletes are honored each year. From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the winners in each sport. As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2,200 organizations.

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