COLUMBIA, Mo. • The Butkus Award named 10 semifinalists for its award on Monday, given annually to the nation’s best linebacker. Five linebackers from the Southeastern Conference made the cut, but somehow Missouri’s Kentrell Brothers was left off the list.
Wait, what?
Brothers, who appeared on several midseason All-American teams, leads the country with 103 tackles — a dozen more than any other player. He’s the best player on a defense that ranks No. 6 nationally in yards allowed per game and No. 3 in points allowed per game. But he’s not among the nation’s 10 best linebackers, let alone the SEC’s five best?