Redshirt junior Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller has been named to the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top linebacker, the Butkus Foundation announced Monday.
Miller is one of 51 players nationally to be named to the watch list for the award.
The Lakeland product is coming off a strong sophomore season in which he started 11 of the 12 games he appeared in and finished second on the team in tackles with 55. He ended the season with back-to-back career-high performances in tackles, notching eight against Florida State and Virginia.
Miller also earned three sacks on the year, two of which came in the season-opening win against Miami.
The list will be cut down to semifinalists on Nov. 2 and finalists on Nov. 23 before the winner is announced on Dec. 8.
Here is the full watch list.
| Shane Lee | Alabama |
| Dylan Moses | Alabama |
| Merlin Robertson | Arizona State |
| K.J. Britt | Auburn |
| Terrel Bernard | Baylor |
| Max Richardson | Boston College |
| Kuony Deng | California |
| James Skalski | Clemson |
| Nate Landman | Colorado |
| Ventrell Miller | Florida |
| Azeez Ojulari | Georgia |
| Monty Rice | Georgia |
| Jake Hansen | Illinois |
| Mike Rose | Iowa State |
| Damone Clark | LSU |
| Jabril Cox | LSU |
| Cameron McGrone | Michigan |
| Lakia Henry | Mississippi |
| Erroll Thompson | Mississippi State |
| Nick Bolton | Missouri |
| Troy Andersen | Montana State |
| Chazz Surratt | North Carolina |
| Paddy Fisher | Northwestern |
| Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | Notre Dame |
| Tuf Borland | Ohio State |
| Baron Browning | Ohio State |
| Pete Werner | Ohio State |
| DaShaun White | Oklahoma |
| Amen Ogbongbemiga | Oklahoma State |
| Malcolm Rodriguez | Oklahoma State |
| Isaac Slade-Matautia | Oregon |
| Hamilcar Rashed | Oregon State |
| Micah Parsons | Penn State |
| Derrick Barnes | Purdue |
| Blaze Alldredge | Rice |
| Riley Cole | South Alabama |
| Garret Wallow | TCU |
| Henry To’o To’o | Tennessee |
| Joseph Ossai | Texas |
| Anthony Hines | Texas A&M |
| Buddy Johnson | Texas A&M |
| Riko Jeffers | Texas Tech |
| Carlton Martial | Troy |
| Devin Lloyd | Utah |
| Dimitri Moore | Vanderbilt |
| Charles Snowden | Virginia |
| Rayshard Ashby | Virginia Tech |
| Joe Tryon | Washington |
| Jahad Woods | Washington State |
| Treshaun Hayward | Western Michigan |
| Jack Sanborn | Wisconsin |
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