CHICAGO – The Butkus Award®, which annually honors the nation's best linebacker, announced its preseason watch list on Monday, and the University of South Alabama's Riley Cole is included among the initial candidates for the honor.
The rising senior from Oneonta, Ala., enters his final year at the collegiate level having compiled 122 total tackles including 70 solo, 11½ stops for loss, a forced fumble, a pass defensed and six quarterback hurries despite having two seasons ended prematurely due to injury.
Last fall Cole was an honorable mention all-Sun Belt Conference selection after posting 59 stops — a total that tied for fourth highest on the team — while ranking second on the squad with nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage.