Killer Frogs

TCU Football: Winters Named To Butkus Award Watch List

This annual award recognizes the nation’s top linebacker
Barry Lewis|
© SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

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TCU Horned Frogs

Add another player from the TCU Horned Frogs football team to watch this coming season. Dee Winters became the latest player to be named to a preseason watch list for one of the postseason honors. He has been named to the watch list for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top linebacker.

The Butkus Award is given annually to the best high school, college, and professional top linebackers in the nation. It was instituted in 1985 and is named after College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame Dick Butkus, who played at Illinois from 1962-1964 before playing nine seasons for the Chicago Bears in the NFL.

Last year’s college award went to Nakobe Dean of Georgia. Other Big 12 players on the watch list this year are DeMarvion Overshown (Texas) and David Ugwoegbu (Oklahoma).

A total of 51 players were named to this year’s preseason watch list. For the complete watch list, click here.

Winters started all 12 games last season and totaled a team-best 74 tackles, including 5.0 for loss with a sack, two interceptions, two pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries. He enters the 2022 campaign with 167 career stops, the most among current Horned Frogs. He also leads all active TCU players with three career double-digit tackle games.

A senior from Brenham, Texas, Winters posted a career-high 12 stops, including nine solo, against West Virginia last season and tied a then career-best with ten tackles, one for loss, in the 52-31 win at Texas Tech. He tied for the team lead with eight stops in the 30-28 victory over Baylor. He had eight tackles and his second interception of the season in the 31-28 win against Kansas.

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Barry Lewis
BARRY LEWIS

Barry is the managing editor/publisher of TCU Horned Frogs On SI and oversees a team of 15+ writers, photographers, and podcasters covering all 22 of TCU’s sports. He writes on football, basketball (men’s and women’s), baseball, men’s tennis, and other sports as needed. His weekly articles include Big 12 Power Rankings and Poll Watching during the football, basketball, and baseball seasons. He is a frequent guest on one of the many podcasts that TCU Horned Frogs On SI writers host covering football, baseball, basketball, and other sports. Barry is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). He has represented TCU Horned Frogs On SI at the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, the 2023 College Football National Championship, the 2023 College World Series, the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tennis National Championship, Big 12 Football Media Days, and Big 12 Basketball Media Days. Barry has followed TCU sports since the Jim Wacker days. He is an avid sports fan and traveler, and he loves any opportunity to see a sporting event in person. He has been to 18 of the 30 MLB ballparks, experienced game day at 25 college football stadiums, seen 21 NFL stadiums, and been to 16 bowl games.

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