High School

Former Iowa High School Football Standout Earns Top NFL Honor

Detroit’s Jack Campbell named the 2025 Pro Butkus Award winner.

Dana Becker

Dec 4, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Dec 4, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

One former Iowa high school football standout has been named the best at his position in the NFL.

Jack Campbell, a graduate of Cedar Falls High School, was named the 2025 Pro Butkus Award winner, which goes to the top linebacker in the NFL.

A 2025 Pro Bowl selection, Campbell was also named first team All-Pro this season after recording 176 total tackles with five sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four passes defended for the Lions this past season.

Former Iowa High School Football Standout Honored

Campbell was surprised with the award in his hometown of Cedar Falls by Matt Butkus, the son of legendary player Dick Butkus who the award is named after. He is the first former University of Iowa Hawkeye to win the award.

“Jack Campbell embodies everything the Butkus Award represents,” the Butkus Award Selection Committee said in a press release. “His size, instincts and disciplined approach to the position allow him to control the middle of the field. He plays with authority, communicates at a high level and consistently puts himself in position to make impactful plays.

“His rise this season reflects not just talent, but leadership and football character.”

Campbell, who won the collegiate version of the Butkus and was an All-American for the Hawkeyes, dominated the Iowa high school football playing field for the Tigers. He was the captain of the Class 4A all-state team and a multi-time all-state selection, finishing with Cedar Falls school records for tackles in a season (168) and career (338).

Jack Campbell Was Multi-Sport Standout For Cedar Falls High School

Jack Campbell, Cedar Falls
Cedar Falls' Jack Campbell (44) shoots a basket while Linn-Mar's Hayden Passmore defends during a Class 4A substate boys' basketball game on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019, at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 190225 Cf Linnmar 002 Jpg / Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen

He helped the Tigers to a 27-6 record his last three years, reaching the Iowa high school football state playoffs twice. Campbell also lettered in basketball and track, as Cedar Falls won back-to-back Class 4A state basketball championships.

The Pro Butkus Award is voted on by the Butkus Award Selection Committee, a group of 51 voters from all ranks of football including NFL front offices, coaches and scouts.

In three seasons with Detroit, Campbell has recorded 402 total tackles including 210 solo stops with 8.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

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Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in northcentral Iowa and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in 2022 focused on the state of Iowa. Along with providing coverage of football and wrestling, Dana also spotlights cross country, swimming, basketball, track and field, soccer, tennis, golf, baseball and softball. He began writing for High School on SI in 2023.

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