LSU’s Devin White received a much-deserved honor today, taking home the 2018 Dick Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker.
He had to hold back the tears. @DevinWhite__40 is nothing but thankful for his family, coaches, teammates and Tiger fans everywhere. #ForeverLSU pic.twitter.com/YsSCE6K8VO
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 5, 2018
White, a junior from Springhill, La., is the first player in LSU history to take home the award, and the 25th national award winner in school history.
He led the Tiger defense in tackles with 115, along with 12 tackles for loss, five pass break-ups, two forced fumbles and two recovered.
White beat out finalists Josh Allen (Kentucky), Devin Bush (Michigan), Tre Lamar (Clemson) and Dylan Moses (Alabama) to take home the trophy.
He also announced that he WILL be playing in LSU’s New Year’s Even Fiesta Bowl match-up.
Goodmorning Tiger Nation, To Clear Up The Rumors, I Will Be Playing In The 2019 @Fiesta_Bowl With My Brothers, Alot Of Business To Handle. God Bless #FinishStrong #GeauxTigers #GetLive40
— DEVIN WHITE 4️⃣0️⃣ (@DevinWhite__40) December 3, 2018
White has not announced whether or not he will forego his senior season and enter the 2019 NFL Draft, although he is expected to be a high first-round pick.
This comes as somewhat of a surprise — not that White wasn’t incredibly worthy — just that other players seemed to be bigger national names. He was clearly the No. 1 linebacker in the country this year, and a fantastic representative of the program. Congratulations to an all-time great Tiger!