Nebraska LB signee Christian Jones wins high school Butkus Award

Omaha (Neb.) Westside four-star linebacker and Nebraska signee Christian Jones has long been one of the nation’s top players at his position.

On Monday, he got some hardware to prove it. The future Husker was honored as the winner of the high school Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top linebacker. Among the other finalists were Texas A&M signee Noah Mikhail, Notre Dame signee Madden Faraimo, Ohio State signee Riley Pettijohn, and Oregon signee Nasir Wyatt.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Jones notched 96 total tackles (70 solo), 16 tackles for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a TD in the state championship game.

He committed to the Huskers on September 9, choosing to stay close to home over offers from Oklahoma, Auburn, Kansas State and more.

“Christian Jones is a disruptive force on the football field,” the Butkus Award selection committee wrote. “He displays excellent instincts, strikes with power and made his impact felt in all phases of the game. He excels in coverage and is a complete linebacker whose effort consistently shows up all over the field.”

He joins an esteemed list of honorees in recent years, headlined by Clemson freshman standout Sammy Brown, who won the award in 2023. Other recent winners include Notre Dame linebacker Drayk Bowen, current Florida State standout Shawn Murphy and Vanderbilt’s Prince Kollie.