CHICAGO – BYU linebackers Ben Bywater and Payton Wilgar were named today to the 2022 watch list for The Butkus Award, presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate linebacker.
The prestigious award was named after Dick Butkus who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983. The 2022 watch list contains 51 linebackers, mirroring the No. 51 jersey worn by the award’s namesake.
Bywater, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound sophomore from Salt Lake City, led the Cougars in 2021 with 102 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss in his first season as a starter. He had at least eight tackles in nine different games, including 10 and 13 in wins over Pac-12 opponents Arizona and USC, respectively. Bywater also recorded a career-high 14 tackles against Boise State.
Pro Football Network named Bywater the 2021 All-Independent Defensive Rookie of the Year and to the PFN All-Independent First Team. As a finance major with a 3.86 GPA, Bywater was also named CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team in 2021.
Wilgar, a 6-3, 235-pound junior from St. George, Utah, was named the PFN All-Independent Linebacker of the Year in 2021 and was also selected to the PFN All-Independent First-Team as well as the Phil Steele All-Independent Second-Team.
A three-year starter at linebacker for the Cougars, Wilgar was on the 2021 Butkus Award watch list and the Bronco Nagurski Trophy watch list. Despite missing the final three games of the 2021 season due to injury, Wilgar was second on the team in assisted tackles with 27 and tackles for loss with 6. He was third in total tackles with 56 and solo tackles with 29.
Semifinalists for the 2022 Butkus Award are expected to be named on Oct. 31, with the finalists announced on Nov. 21. As part of the National College Football Awards Association, which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards, the Butkus Award winner will be presented on Dec. 8 during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.
Founded in 1985, the Butkus Award is presented by the Butkus Foundation and selected by a 51-member expert panel of coaches, scouts and journalists. The Butkus Award honors the nation’s best linebacker, while supporting causes important to the Butkus family. Causes include Butkus Takes Heart initiative encouraging early cardiovascular screening among adults as well as the I Play Clean initiative, encouraging athletes to train naturally without performance-enhancing drugs.