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Ellis named to watch list for top linebacker award

CHICAGO — Arkansas linebacker Brooks Ellis has been named to the preseason watch list for the 32nd annual Butkus Award, it was announced Tuesday.

The award is presented each season to the nation’s best linebacker by the Butkus Foundation. This is the second straight year that Ellis has appeared on the award’s preseason watch list.

The Razorbacks’ leading tackler in 2015, Ellis is one of 12 players from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) on the 51-person list and the sixth Razorback to earn a spot on a preseason award watch list during the past two weeks.

Ellis started all 13 games last season, extending his streak to 18 straight contests. He totaled 102 stops, which tied for ninth in the SEC.  He tallied eight or more tackles six times, highlighted by three double-digit tackle efforts, and was one of two SEC defenders to log 15-plus tackles in a conference game twice.