Georgia football junior linebacker CJ Allen has been named a finalist for the 2025 Butkus Award, The Butkus Foundation has announced.
The Butkus Award, named after legendary linebacker Dick Butkus, is an annual college football award given to the nation’s best linebacker by The Butkus Foundation. The winner of the 2025 Butkus Award will be named on or before Wednesday, Dec. 10.
Other finalists for the Butkus Award this season include Arvell Reese (Ohio State), Aiden Fisher (Indiana), Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas), and Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech).
Jalon Walker is the last UGA player to claim the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker. Walker was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round, 15th overall, of the 2025 NFL Draft.
CJ Allen (6-1, 235) hails from Barnesville, Ga. Through 11 games this season, Allen leads the Bulldogs in tackles with 78 stops through 11 games, including seven tackles for loss. He also has 3.5 quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
Last month, CJ Allen was named a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year semifinalist. The award is given annually to the college football player who has “…demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.”
The Georgia Bulldogs’ next game is on Friday, Nov. 28 against the No. 16 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. The game will be televised by ABC at 3:30pm ET (Buy Tickets).