BATON ROUGE – Four LSU linebackers – the most of any school in the nation – have been named to the Butkus Award Watch List, the Butkus Foundation announced on Monday.
LSU’s list of Butkus Award candidates include sophomore K’Lavon Chaisson, senior Michael Divinity, along with juniors Jacob Phillips and Patrick Queen.
Last year, LSU’s Devin White became the first Butkus Award winner in school history. White, a consensus All-America, went on to become the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
With the departure of White to NFL, Phillips is LSU’s top returning tackler from 2018 as he registered 87 tackles to go along with 5.5 tackles for loss. He also returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown in LSU’s season-opening win over Miami. Phillips was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the win over the Hurricanes.
Divinity recorded 54 tackles, led the Tigers in sacks with 5.0 and was second on the squad with 10.5 tackles for loss a year ago. Divinity also had an interception and returned a fumble 58 yards for a touchdown against Texas A&M.
Queen posted 40 tackles in 2018, which included leading the Tigers with nine tackles and a sack for a 22-yard loss in the win over UCF in the Fiesta Bowl. He got his first career start against Alabama and responded with nine tackles, including two for losses.
Chaisson saw action on just one game last year as he suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth quarter of LSU’s win over Miami. Chaisson had five tackles and a sack for an 8-yard loss in the win over the Hurricanes. He’s fully recovered at will be a full strength when training camp starts next week.
The Butkus Award is presented annually to the best linebacker in college football.
Article courtesy of LSU Sports Information Department.
