CHICAGO – Linebacker for the University of Utah football team Lander Barton And Karen Reid were named to the Butkus Award Watch List announced today. The award is given annually to the best linebacker in the country.

Barton and Reid are two of 51 linebackers on the preseason watch list, which also includes seven from the Big 12.

Barton has played in 21 games for the Utes in his career, including 10 starts. He was the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and also earned CFN Freshman All-America honors.

Returning from a season-ending injury in 2023, the Cottonwood Heights, Utah, native recorded 80 total tackles (3.8 tackles per game) with 8.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks. In 2023, Barton had five games with four-plus tackles before his injury, matching his career-high of six against No. 22 UCLA.

Reid has played in 35 career games with 31 starts and was a two-time All-Pac-12 selection at Utah. He was the top linebacker in tackles for two consecutive seasons with 67 in 2023 and 72 in 2022.

The American Fork, Utah native also defended five passes (1 INT, 4 PBU) in 2023 and four (1 INT, 3 PBU) in 2022. He averaged 6.8 tackles per game during conference play last season, setting a season-high of nine against UCLA, Oregon and Washington.

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