Nebraska Football: Mohamed Barry has chance at winning Butkus Award

LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 29: Running back Alexander Horvath #40 of the Purdue Boilermakers runs from linebacker Mohamed Barry #7 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the first half at Memorial Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 29: Running back Alexander Horvath #40 of the Purdue Boilermakers runs from linebacker Mohamed Barry #7 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the first half at Memorial Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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Nebraska Football linebacker Mohamed Barry keeps racking up the notoriety, as nationally, he is expected to have a big season. Monday, he was named to the Butkus Award Watch List.

The award itself is given to the best linebacker in the country. There are 51 players on the list, as 51 was the number worn by Dick Butkus during his playing career. The semi-finalists for the award will be announced on November 4, while the winners will be announced on or before December 10.

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Barry has a great shot at winning this award. He had a tremendous season last year, finishing 2018 with 112 tackles. Now heading into his senior season, he looks to repeat that effort, and aim for even bigger numbers. He will certainly have to play at a high level on a Nebraska Football defense that figures to be relatively young due to players departing for graduation and the professional ranks. Barry has been a fixture on the defensive side of the football for many years, and he will look to end his senior season in style.

He definitely has a shot at winning the award. As long as he continues to play at a high level, his numbers should reflect that. Last year was a breakout year for him, and I expect more of the same numbers for him in the 2019 season. He will have to be one of the anchors of a defense that has a lot of talent. Talent can only get you so far however. Barry also has intangibles that make him one of the most complete linebackers in the game. It will be interesting to see exactly what he does for a follow-up performance as he looks to not only have a great season for the Nebraska Football program, but improve his draft stock for the National Football League.

It will be interesting to see exactly how he performs this year. Nebraska Football needs him to have a big year, as the defense struggled in 2018. They certainly don’t want a repeat performance in the coming year. Especially with all of the hype surrounding this team, they need to make sure they are firing on all cylinders. There has been so much buildup to the season, sometimes I worry that it might get to their head. That doesn’t seem to be the case right now, and for Barry in particular, he is poised to have a great season.