Aaron Brule Joins the Ranks of Bulldogs Snubbed in Preseason Watch Lists
The list of Mississippi State football players who should have made a preseason watch list for a particular award or should have made an "All-SEC team" for a network has gotten relatively extensive.
Only one MSU player was named to the preseason All-SEC team in the Southeastern Conference Media Poll. Not a single MSU defensive back was named to the Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list, despite the fact the Bulldogs may have the best secondary in the country this year. There's no need to go on.
And you can add Bulldogs linebacker Aaron Brule to that list of overlooked players now.
Brule, expected to be an SEC standout defensive player in 2021 and one of the Bulldogs' better players on that side of the ball, was left off the preseason watch list for the Dick Butkus Award.
The Dick Butkus Award is presented annually to the best linebacker in the nation.
Brule had a successful 2020 season, recording 74 total tackles (30 solo), four sacks, three passes defended and one fumble recovery.
Also during his sophomore season, Brule led all FBS linebackers in pass rush snaps (192), total pressures generated (39) and quarterback hurries (27), according to Pro Football Focus.
Brule was one of the two players representing MSU at SEC Media Days this year. The other was wide receiver Austin Williams.
During his appearance, Brule was asked about the defense and how the program in general flies under the radar.
"If you look around the NFL and things of that sort, you'll see we have many guys in the league doing great, great things," Brule said. "When I signed to Mississippi State out of high school I knew what I was coming into. I knew we had to be a blue collar, hard working mentality group of players. I always look forward when going into games, keeping that chip on our shoulder when we're practicing. It just proves people wrong, like Mississippi State has always done."
Here's a look at every player who did make the preseason watch list for the Dick Butkus Award:
- Blaze Alldredge, Missouri
- Christopher Allen, Alabama
- Will Anderson, Alabama
- Adam Anderson, Georgia
- Brian Asamoah, Oklahoma
- Chris Bergin, Northwestern
- Terrel Bernard, Baylor
- Nik Bonnito, Oklahoma
- Damone Clark, LSU
- Nakobe Dean, Georgia
- Olakunle Fatukasi, Rutgers
- Amari Gainer, Florida State
- Jeremiah Gemmel, North Carolina
- Jackson Hankey, North Dakota State
- Jake Hansen, Illinois
- Aaron Hansford, Texas A&M
- Christian Harris, Alabama
- Lakia Henry, Mississippi
- Nick Jackson, Virginia
- Drake Jackson, USC
- Mikel Jones, Syracuse
- Nate Landman, Colorado
- Devin Lloyd, Utah
- Jesse Luketa, Penn State
- Carlton Martial, Troy
- Zakoby McClain, Auburn
- Micah McFadden, Indiana
- Ventrell Miller, Florida
- Grant Morgan, Arkansas
- Chad Muma, Wyoming
- Anfernee Orji, Vanderbilt
- Demarvion Overshown, Texas
- James Patterson, Buffalo
- Bumper Pool, Arkansas
- Avery Roberts, Oregon State
- Merlin Robertson, Arizona State
- Malcolm Rodriguez, Oklahoma State
- Mike Rose, Iowa State
- Jack Sanborn, Wisconsin
- Colin Schooler, Texas Tech
- Noah Sewell, Oregon
- James Skalski, Clemson
- Brandon Smith, Penn State
- Baylon Spector, Clemson
- Jordan Strachan, South Carolina
- Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Washington
- Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington
- Quay Walker, Georgia
- Payton Wilgar, BYU
- Sam Williams, Mississippi
- Payton Wilson, North Carolina State