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Butkus Award Semifinalists
ACC Heads Linebacker Award List
LB Bruce Carter - North Carolina
The ACC leads the Butkus Award semifinalist list announced this week with four candidates. Three players that were on last season's award list headlines also appear on this year's list of semifinalists, the award's selection committee announced.
North Carolina’s Bruce Carter, Nate Irving of NC St, Boston College’s Luke Kuechly and Miami’s Sean Spence represent the ACC. Michigan State's Greg Jones, Oklahoma's Travis Lewis and Texas A&M's Von Miller are all repeat members on the 2010 semifinalist list for the award. The Butkus award is given annually to the nation's top linebacker in college football.
The list does not include Boston College's Mark Herzlich, Arizona St.’s Vontaze Burfict and LSU’s Kelvin Sheppard who all have made a strong impact over the first half of the 2010 season for their respective clubs.
The other conferences on the list with three players from the Pac-10 and Big 12 and two linebackers from the SEC complete the list.
Butkus Award Semifinalists
Akeem Ayers - UCLA
Bruce Carter - North Carolina
Mason Foster - Washington
Mario Harvey - Marshall
Dont'a Hightower - Alabama
Justin Houston - Georgia
Nate Irving - North Carolina St
Greg Jones - Michigan St
Luke Kuechly - Boston College
Travis Lewis - Oklahoma
Casey Matthews - Oregon
Von Miller - Texas A&M
Keenan Robinson - Texas
Sean Spence - Miami (Fl.)
Manti Te'o - Notre Dame