The Butkus Award Watch list: Top high school linebackers in the country from the state of Florida

We take a look at the linebackers from Florida that are on the preseason Butkus Award Watch list of 51 players selected nationally

The Butkus Award Watch List for the top high school linebackers in the country was released and 51 players from 21 states are listed. 11 of the 51 (21.5 percent) of the linebackers listed are from the Sunshine State and we wanted to highlight all the players from Florida. The overall list will get whittled down to 15 soon as the regular season winds down and heads into the postseason. We dive in to take a closer look at the nomination list of linebackers and how they’ve done this season and where they are committed to.

Troy Bowles, Jesuit: The Georgia commitment has racked up 46 tackles, two for loss, fumble recovery and an interception. Though the Tigers are not quite exactly the same unit from last year, Bowles has remained stout.

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Jayvant Brown, St. Thomas Aquinas: The 6-foot, 220-pound linebacker has played some of his best football his senior year. Brown has notched 35 tackles, one for loss and a fumble recovery. The Raiders linebacker also has offers from Alabama, Arizona State and Auburn.

Malik Bryant, Jones: Bryant has already made his commitment to the University of Miami (FL), but has played sparingly this season with only three games under his belt. The future Hurricane has 21 tackles and five have gone for a loss in minimal time.

Lewis Carter, Tampa Catholic: The Oklahoma commitment leads the Crusaders in tackles (47), second in sacks (3.0) and has an interception this season. Carter is one of the Tampa Bay Area’s top defenders.

Stanquan Clark, Miami Central: Clark, who has committed to Louisville, transferred to Miami Central from Killian over the off-season. The Rockets’ linebacker has racked up 36 tackles, 11 have gone for a loss and is second on the team in sacks with six.

Jordan Hall, IMG Academy: The Michigan State commitment is apart of a loaded Ascenders’ defense and has stood out as the team’s leading tackler with 29. Hall also had seven tackles for loss with one sack.

Grayson Howard, Andrew Jackson: A South Carolina commit, Howard leads a stout Tigers’ defense and has posted some crazy numbers. He’s accumulated 15 tackles for loss, four sacks and recovered three fumbles.

Corey Lucius, Tampa Bay Tech: Lucius transferred over to Tampa Bay Tech from Tampa Catholic and is tied for second on the Titans in tackles (31), four have gone for a loss with a sack and two interceptions. He does have offers from Penn State, Miami (FL) and Boston College.

Phil Picciotti, IMG Academy: Already a commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners, Picciotti has racked up 20 tackles, two for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. Plays on a heavily talented IMG Academy defensive unit.

Jaden Robinson, Columbia: Robinson won’t have to go too far when he plays on the next level as he’s already committed to playing for Billy Napier and the Florida Gators. The 6-foot-1, 222-pound linebacker is one of the best in northeast Florida.

Raylen Wilson, Lincoln: The rangy linebacker has been all over the field for the Trojans making plays. A Georgia commitment, Wilson has made a team-high 43 tackles, six for loss, four sacks and recovered a fumble.

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo. 


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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.