Malcolm Rodriguez is playing like the best defender in the Big 12 on the best defense in the Big 12. But he’s not even being treated as one of the best at his position nationally.
Finalists for the Butkus Award, given annually to the best linebacker in the sport, were announced on Monday, and the in-state product was a big, fat snub from the list. He was omitted over a final group that included Georgia and Cincinnati products despite some pretty telling stats that suggest that should not have been the case.
| BUTKUS AWARD FINALISTS |
| Darrian Beavers (Cincinnati) |
| Nakobe Dean (Georgia) |
| Damone Clark (LSU) |
| Devin Lloyd (Utah) |
| Leo Chenal (Wisconsin) |
| Chad Muma (Wyoming) |
For posterity, here’s a little look at the stats by player. It, uh, is pretty telling.
| Players | Tackles | Tackles for loss | Sacks | Pass deflected | Fumble recoveries |
| Nakobe Dean (Georgia) | 50 | 7 | 4.5 | 2 | 0 |
| Darrian Beavers (Cincinnati) | 75 | 7.5 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Devin Lloyd (Utah) | 91 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| Leo Chenal (Wisconsin) | 92 | 15.5 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Malcolm Rodriguez (Oklahoma State) | 95 | 11.5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Chad Muma (Wyoming) | 120 | 7.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Damone Clark (LSU) | 125 | 11.5 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Rodriguez leads the Big 12 in total tackles and assisted tackles and ranks top 10 in tackles for loss in the conference. As you can imagine, everyone was quick to notice the snub and expressed their, well, surprise about it on social media.
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