Carson Bruener named to Butkus Award watch list

Washington’s star linebacker is on

In a sea of new faces, the Washington Huskies have a steadying force at linebacker in fifth-year senior Carson Bruener.

Arguably the best-returning player on Jedd Fisch’s team after the Huskies’ run to the national championship last season, Bruener is getting set to step into his first season as a full-time starter and has a chance to be one of the nation’s best linebackers in 2024.

The Butkus Award committee seems to have a similar line of thinking and on Tuesday, named Bruener to the watch list for the 2024 award. If the local product and Husky legacy were to take home the trophy given out to the nation’s best linebacker this year, he would be the first Washington product to do so.

Bruener finished No. 3 on the Huskies last season in tackles, tallying 86 while finishing behind Dominique Hampton and Edefuan Ulofoshio, who both departed for the NFL, making Bruener the heavy favorite to lead the Huskies in tackles this season. In the run-heavy Big Ten, the All-Pac-12 honorable mention could end up among the conference leaders in that department too.

But his impact goes far beyond just tackles. During fall practice, Bruener has shown defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and linebackers coach Robert Bala that he can be a reliable defensive signal caller, and is very effective when dropping into coverage, with 2 interceptions and 6 passes defensed to his name, which could help him make one of the conference’s most productive linebackers in 2024.

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