ATHENS, Ga. — Bulldog junior inside linebacker CJ Allen has been named one of 12 semifinalists for the Butkus Award honoring the nation’s best linebacker, according to a Butkus Foundation announcement Tuesday.
 
Allen, a native of Barnesville, Ga., is one of only three players from the Southeastern Conference on the list.  He is already a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award and is a Lott IMPACT Trophy quarterfinalist.  Butkus finalists will be named on Nov. 25 and the winner will be named on or before Dec. 10.
 
Former Bulldog and current Atlanta Falcon Jalon Walker won the 2024 Butkus Award.  He was the third Georgia linebacker to win after current NFL linebackers Roquan Smith (2017) and Nakobe Dean (2021) also garnered the accolade. 
 
Allen leads the Southeastern Conference with 8.6 tackles per game.  He has totaled 69 stops, including 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, through eight games.  Allen has forced a pair of fumbles and collected another loose ball while helping give Georgia one of the nation’s top-15 rushing defenses.  Most recently, he had a career-high 13 tackles versus Florida and anchored a Bulldog defense that gave up only three points in the fourth quarter. 
 
The No. 5 Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 SEC) travel to Starkville, Miss., to play Mississippi State (5-4, 1-4) Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.  ESPN will televise the matchup.