After holding Tennessee to 17 points Saturday, Alabama’s Landon Collins and Reggie Ragland were named to their positions’ national award semifinalists list.
Collins was for the second year in a row named as a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist for the nation’s best safety. Collins has been a staple on Alabama’s defense this season, bolstering a secondary that seriously needed the help earlier this season. Collins has 54 tackles – two behind Ragland – and two interceptions.
Antonio Langham won the Crimson Tide’s only Thorpe Award in 1993. Under Saban, safety Mark Barron finished as a finalist in 2011, Dee Milliner did the same in 2012, and Collins will try to win the award in his second year of contention.
Collins is one of four semifinalists from the SEC along with Ronald Martin from LSU and Cody Prewitt and Senquez Golson from Ole Miss’ stout secondary.
Here are the other Thorpe Award semifinalists:
Sam Carter, TCU
Jeremy Cash, Duke
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon
Kendall Fuller, Virginia Tech
Senquez Golson, Ole Miss
Josh Hawkins, East Carolina
Gerod Holliman, Louisville
Ronald Martin, LSU
Cody Prewitt, Ole Miss
Jordan Richards, Stanford
Zack Sanchez, Oklahoma
Triston Wade, UTSA
Trae Waynes, Michigan State
PJ Williams, Florida State
Ragland, who surpassed Collins for the team lead in tackles last week, was named to the Dick Butkus Award semifinalist list for the nation’s top linebacker. With 56 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and an interception this season, Ragland could be the fourth Alabama linebacker to win the Butkus Award. Derrick Thomas won it in 1988, Rolando McClain was the first Nick Saban player at Alabama to win it in 2009, and C.J. Mosley took home the award last season.
Common thinking would have pegged fellow linebacker Trey DePriest as Alabama’s Butkus Award favorite, but Ragland’s stellar season has put him above his teammate. He joins four other SEC nominees and is the only linebacking nominee from the vaunted SEC West.
Here are the other Butkus semifinalists:
Stephone Anthony, Clemson
Myles Jack, UCLA
Jordan Jenkins, Georgia
A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
Eric Kendricks, UCLA
Hau’oli Kikaha, Washington
Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State
Denzel Perryman, Miami
Hayes Pullard, USC
Jake Ryan, Michigan
Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame
Eric Striker, Oklahoma
Shaq Thompson, Washington
Ramik Wilson, Georgia
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