The Texas Longhorns have had far from the season they hoped for after entering the year ranked preseason No. 1 in the AP poll.
However, while the team’s overall performance has been disappointing, several Longhorns players have still had strong seasons, including junior linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., who was recently named a finalist for a major college football award.
Anthony Hill Jr. Named Finalist for Major College Football Award
Heading into the 2025 season, few defensive players had more preseason hype than Hill Jr. PFSN’s Oliver Hodgkinson ranked the star linebacker as the No. 16 overall returning player in the country, and he appeared on numerous award watchlists, including for the Butkus Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top linebacker.
Hill has lived up to the preseason hype, as Texas announced Tuesday that he has been named a finalist for the Butkus Award.
Butkus Award Finalist: @thegoatanthony1 🤘 pic.twitter.com/Vv732cI663
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) November 25, 2025
The Texas star is one of five linebackers across the country to be named as a finalist for the award, joining Georgia’s C.J. Allen, Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, Indiana’s Aiden Fisher, and Ohio State’s Arvell Reese.
It’s an impressive accomplishment for Hill, and one he’s earned with his 2025 performance. Through 10 games, the linebacker has recorded 69 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles, ranking third among all college linebackers in PFSN’s CFB LBi metric.
Not only has Hill had a great individual season, but he’s also the heart and soul of a Texas defense that ranks 21st in the country this season, according to PFSN’s CFB DEFi metric, underscoring his significant impact as a player.
The winner of the Butkus Award will be announced on December 10, and Hill has Texas’ pivotal Week 13 matchup against cross-state rival Texas A&M to boost his standing in the race before the season ends.
The 2025 Butkus finalists have all been among the best defensive players, not just linebackers, in the country this season, making for a highly competitive race. Hill is an extremely talented player, and even if he doesn’t win the award, being named a finalist still highlights his incredible season in Austin.
Only one Longhorn in the history of the Butkus Award, which was established in 1985, has won it. Derrick Johnson did so in 2004 and went on to be a first-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Hill has a chance to follow in Johnson’s footsteps, as he has also generated 2026 NFL Draft hype, with PFSN’s latest mock draft projecting him as the No. 39 overall pick to the Houston Texans.
Time will tell if Hill wins the Butkus, but earning national recognition for his play this season is an impressive accomplishment in its own right.
