Nebraska football’s recruitment class of 2025 will be bringing in some personal hardware to their college career.
Omaha Westside linebacker and Nebraska football signee Christian Jones was awarded the 2024 Butkus award on Monday morning, as the honor is given to the nation’s top prep linebacker each year. The award was presented as a surprise to the Westside defender by Dick Butkus’ son, Matt, appeared in Omaha to present the trophy. Jones, the 6-3, 215 pound senior was named a finalist following a stellar season with 96 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
Jones was a three-way player, also competing at wide receiver and contributing on special teams for coach Paul Limongi’s Warriors. The Butkus Award Selection Committee recognized Jones’ talent, calling him a “disruptive force on the football field.”
“He displays excellent instincts, strikes with power and made his impact felt in all phases of the game. He excels in coverage and is a complete linebacker whose effort consistently shows up all over the field,” the committee stated.
Westside head coach Paul Limongi said: “Christian had a fantastic high school career. He was a four-year starter at linebacker and always got the job done at extremely high level. Christian was fast, explosive, and tough. In addition, he was an excellent teammate and leader who always brought out the best in people. Christian is truly one of the best players I ever coached.”
Jones beat out fellow finalists from California and Texas, including the runner-up Noah Mikhail from Bonita, La Verne Calif. The Butkus Award selection committee focuses on qualities that defined Dick Butkus’ career: toughness, on-field leadership, competitiveness, football character and linebacking skills.
A Butkus Award celebration featuring the 2024 winners is planned Saturday, February 1, 2025, at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois, where the Award’s namesake the late Dick Butkus established his legendary career. The celebration will be featured in the Butkus Award special airing on the Big Ten Network in February 2025. More information will be at available www.butkusfoundation.org.
About the Butkus Award: Founded in 1985, the Butkus Award honors linebackers at three levels while supporting causes important to the Butkus family. Causes include Butkus Takes Heart™ initiative encouraging early cardiovascular screening among adults, and the I Play Clean® initiative encouraging athletes to train naturally without performance-enhancing drugs. The Butkus Foundation has presented the high school and professional awards since 2008. The collegiate award is now in its 40th season.
Jones joins two other future-Huskers that earned postseason accolades from their prep careers, as Wahoo Bishop Neumann’s Conor Booth claimed Nebraska’s Gatorade Player of the Year and Kade Pietrzak was named the North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year.
Jones committed following Nebraska’s 28-10 home win over Colorado on Sept. 7, then signed with the Big Red last week. The linebacker picked the Huskers over Oklahoma.
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