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Jay Higgins Tabbed Butkus Award Semifinalist

Sports

November 4th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior Jay Higgins has been named a 2024 Dick Butkus Award semifinalist, it was announced Monday by the Butkus Foundation. It marks the second straight season Higgins is a semifinalist for the prestigious award.

Higgins is one of 15 semifinalists for the 2024 Butkus Award, presented to the nation’s most outstanding linebacker. He is also a quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.

Higgins was named a midseason All-American last month by the Associated Press, Sporting News, CBS and The Athletic.

Higgins is leading the Big Ten in tackles (sixth nationally), making 94 tackles (10.4 per game). He has led the team in tackles in all nine games, including a season-high 14 tackles against Ohio State, Washington and Michigan State. He also has three interceptions (18th nationally and tied for the most by a Power 4 linebacker) and forced two fumbles. Higgins, who has 311 career tackles in 54 games, has five double-digit tackle games this season and 16 in his career.

The Indianapolis native has 69 tackles in six Big Ten games, averaging 11.4 tackles per contest. Higgins is six tackles shy of reaching 100 for the season. The last Hawkeye to record back-to-back 100-tackle seasons was Jack Campbell in 2021 and 2022.

Campbell won the award in 2022 and was a semifinalist in 2021, while Josey Jewell was a finalist for the Butkus Award in 2016 and a semifinalist in 2017.

Iowa (6-3, 4-2) returns to action Friday at UCLA (3-5, 2-4). Kickoff for that contest is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. (CT) in Pasadena, California. The game will be televised on FOX and broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network.

Jay Higgins | 2024 Honors
Dick Butkus Award Semifinalist
Lott IMPACT Trophy Quarterfinalist
AP, CBS Sports, Sporting News, The Athletic Midseason All-America
Chuck Bednarik Award midseason Watch List
Preseason National Defensive Player of the Year by Phil Steele
Preseason first-team Walter Camp All-American
Preseason first-team All-America by AP, ESPN, CBS Sports
Preseason first-team All-America by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports
Preseason first-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports
Preseason Big Ten Honors List
Bronko Nagurski Trophy preseason Watch List
Lombardi Award midseason Watch List
Wuerffel Trophy preseason Watch List
Senior Bowl preseason Watch List