Luke Kuechly continues to receive honor after honor, as the Boston College Eagles' junior linebacker was named the winner of the Lombardi Award as the nation's top collegiate lineman on Wednesday.
Kuechly led the nation in tackles, both total (191) and solo (102) and has recorded a school and Atlantic Coast Conference record 532 tackles in three seasons at Boston College. In his sophomore season, Kuechly had 183 total tackles and 110 solo stops while recording 142 total tackles in his freshman campaign to go along with 81 solo tackles.
Kuechly also won the Butkus Award, receiving the news as a surprise at BC's postseason awards dinner. Kuechly was surprised by the presence of Dick Butkus, the award's namesake, who presented it to Kuechly in person.
"I didn't know what was going on," Kuechly said. "These two big guys were standing right behind me and I was like wow, what is going on right now? I used to watch football growing up and I used to watch NFL Films," Kuechly continued. "They would always be talking about Dick Butkus. I just remember watching those games and he is one of the all-time linebackers and they always mentioned his name. ... That's the best award if you are a linebacker."
Kuechly has drawn strong praise from many, including Hurb Arkush of Pro Football Weekly.
"Luke Kuechly is a highly instinctive tackling machine with rare three-year production," said Arkush, who is the publisher of Pro Football Weekly and coordinates the Butkus Award selection committee. "He embodies the spirit of the Butkus Award, bringing tremendous intensity, competitiveness and leadership to the field, while continuing a legacy of outstanding linebacker play at Boston College."
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