Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr. earns spot on Butkus Award watch list
Texas sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Dick Butkus Award, the Dick Butkus organization announced Tuesday. The Butkus Award is presented annually to the top linebacker in college football.
[Sign up for Inside Texas and get the BEST Longhorns scoop!]
Longhorn Legend Derrick Johnson previously won the award in 2004 and was also a finalist in 2003, as was Sergio Kindle in 2009.
Hill Jr. looks to build upon a breakout freshman season in 2023 where he earned a spot on the FWAA’s Freshman All-America team to go along with co-Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors. The Denton, Texas, product was also named honorable mention All-Big 12, a Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award semifinalist and a Freshman All-America selection by ESPN, The Athletic and the College Football Network. Hill Jr. played in all 14 games with six starts and recorded 66 tackles (40 solo), 8.0 tackles for loss, five sacks, one forced fumble, four quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.
His five sacks tied for fourth-most by a Longhorn freshman and are the third-most by a Texas true freshman. The eight tackles for loss by Hill Jr. equaled the eighth-most for a UT freshman and sixth-most for a true freshman. He had a breakout performance in the win at No. 3 Alabama, logging six tackles (four solo stops) with two tackles for loss and two sacks, including one in the Crimson Tide’s final offensive play of the game. Following the win at Alabama, Hill Jr. earned Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Week and 247Sports True Freshman of the Week honors.
In addition to the Dick Butkus Award preseason watch list, Hill Jr. was selected to the preseason watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and earned preseason second-team All-SEC praise on defense.
Award semifinalists are expected to be named Nov. 4, with finalists named Nov. 25 and the winner named by Dec. 10. Appearing on the watch list is not a requirement to win the award. The 2024 Butkus Award winners at the high school, college and pro level will be honored at an event planned for early 2025 at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois as part of the Big Ten Network television special.
[Subscribe to the Inside Texas YouTube channel and help get us to 10,000 subs!]
Hill Jr. and UT kick off the season at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday, Aug. 31, at home against Colorado State. The game will air on ESPN from inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
(via Texas release)
