University of Nevada senior linebacker Joshua Mauga has been named to the initial Watch List for the Butkus Award, which is given annually to the nation's top collegiate linebacker.
Mauga is a fourth-year starter who is considered a candidate for WAC Defensive Player of the Year this season. He has been named Preseason All-WAC by Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, Phil Steele's College Football, Athlon, Lindy's and The Sporting News.
Mauga (Fallon, Nev.; Churchill High School) was en route to a stellar season in 2007 before a knee injury forced him to miss more than five games. Still, he was second on the team with 80 tackles. For his career, he has 170 tackles, including 12.5 for a loss.
Mauga is one of our players from the WAC on the Watch List, joining Hawaii's Adam Leonard and Utah State's Jake Hutton and Paul Igboeli. There are 66 players on the Watch List.
In 2007, the Butkus Award was given to Ohio State's James James Laurinaitis, who is on the Watch List again this year.
The Butkus Award Mission StatementThe Butkus Award, instituted in 1985, has been given annually to the top linebacker in college football. The Award, named in honor of Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus, is regarded as one of the elite individual honors in college football. This year, the Butkus family has taken stewardship of the Butkus Award to fully realize it's original purpose of honoring athletic achievement and service to the community. It will be presented by the Butkus Foundation, a registered 501 c (3) non-profit organization, and will be expanded to honor the nation’s best high school and professional linebackers. The Butkus Award will be presented January 13, 2009, at the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in Chicago.
An independent Butkus Award Selection Committee, headed by Pro Football Weekly's Hub Arkush and comprised of 51 experts including professional, college and high school scouts, and prominent sports journalists, will conduct the selection process.
More info: www.thebutkusaward.com
