Cameron McGrone, Michigan Commits Make Butkus Award Watch List

When the Butkus Award Watch List was released on Monday, Michigan boasted one college linebacker and four high school commits who were up for the awards.

As the NCAA's preseason award watch lists continue to roll out, Michigan has been well represented thus far, and the most recent nominee comes in the form of junior linebacker Cameron McGrone, who is up for the Butkus Award.

Last year, McGrone notched 13 games in what was his first year of starting duty at linebacker, and the relative newcomer made the most of his newfound playing time. Over the course of the season, McGrone snuffed out 66 tackles, nine and a half tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, four sacks, one forced fumble and one pass deflection.

By logging such a productive season, McGrone helped stabilize the interior portion of Michigan's defense while delivering moments of greatness on the field. In particular, the 6-1, 232-pound linebacker racked up 12 tackles and one hurry in U-M's 45-14 thumping of Notre Dame at home. Shortly before that defensive exhibition, McGrone recorded 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble against Illinois. McGrone was named co-Defensive Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week outright for his respective efforts.

As a freshman, McGrone received spot duty on special teams, so 2019 was his first true dose of Big Ten college football, and the young defender rose to the occasion game after game. Entering the 2020 season, McGrone is expected to be a leader among the linebackers unit, and here at Wolverine Digest the Butkus Award candidate was named as the No. 4 player on this year's U-M squad.

High school Butkus Award Watch List filled with Michigan commits

While McGrone made the Butkus Award watch list for collegiate players, four Michigan linebacker commits were also selected to the high school version of the watch list as well. In alphabetical order, Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood's Junior Colson, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas' Jaydon Hood, Bolingbrook (Ill.) High's Tyler McLaurin and Dedham (Mass.) Nobles and Greenough's Casey Phinney were all selected to the 2020 Butkus Award High School Watch List.

With four true linebacker commits in the fold, Michigan has one of the better linebacker classes in the country. Phinney was the first to drop for U-M, and he brings a powerful, instinctive brand of football to the 2021 class as a strong hitter who is big enough to take on lead blockers. Hood has a lot of those same characteristics, but he is a more explosive prospect that can fly from sideline to sideline in pursuit of the ball carrier. Colson, on the other hand, is a pass rushing magician that posted well over 100 tackles last year thanks to his reactive nature. Finally, McLaurin is a well-rounded prospect that plays inside linebacker for his high school but is expected to move outside when he arrives at Michigan due to his mobility and coverage abilities.

One player that is not listed in this grouping is Suffield (Va.) Academy athlete Kechaun Bennett. After committing to Michigan in May, Bennett revealed that he was recruited to U-M as a Viper despite his 6-4, 222 pound frame, which is considerably larger than Vipers from past installments on Michigan's defense. But despite that caveat, Bennett expects to line up on the edge and to cause problems for the opposition as both a pass rusher or a coverage defender with his length and wing span. Since Bennett lines up with his hand in the dirt at the high school level, he was likely not considered for this award.

Still, Michigan has a strong showing with one collegiate linebacker and four high school commits up for the national honor.

Who do you think has the best chance to win the Butkus Award out of McGrone, Colson, Hood, McLaurin or Phinney? Do you have any early favorites in that race? Let us know!