As the college football season draws closer by the day, excitement is building for what the Texas Longhorns will accomplish. They will again be anchored by a stellar defense that has many familiar faces. On Wednesday, they received national recognition as Anthony Hill Jr. and Liona Lefau were honored on the preseason watch list for the 2025 Butkus Award.
For Hill, it is the second straight year he has been chosen for the preseason watch list. That comes as no surprise after the numbers that he put up last year. The Ryan High School product led the team in tackles with 103 and tackles for a loss with 16.5. He also finished third in sacks with eight. He was one of the best players at his position and in college football.
Texas Longhorns LB #0 Anthony Hill Jr. making his presence felt
Vs. Kentucky (2024) pic.twitter.com/ueskRuBg36
— FIRST ROUND MOCK (@firstroundmock) July 29, 2025
While the Kansas native continued to be a veteran anchor, he got some help from Lefau. The Laie, Hawaii native played in all 16 games last season, making 10 starts. He made the most of his opportunities with 63 tackles, which was the fifth most on the team. The talented linebacker also added two sacks and an interception to his resume.
With Hill and Lefau back in the mix, the Longhorns’ defense is in good hands. They made life difficult for quarterbacks last year, which should continue. Although Hill and Lefau are focused on bringing a national title to Austin, they wouldn’t mind adding more hardware to their trophy cases.
Liona Lefau hits gaps like Gary Johnson. 🤘pic.twitter.com/p9k2Oz6Yoc
— Justin Wells (@justinwells2424) September 22, 2024
The Dick Butkus Award is given annually to the best linebacker in the nation. Since 2004, the only two Longhorns to take home the award were Derrick Johnson in 2004 and Sergio Kindle in 2009. Hill and Lefau are more than capable of ending that streak and now have added motivation.
On November 4, Hill and Lefau will find out if they are semifinalists before the finalists are revealed on November 25. The winner will then be announced by December 10, before being honored at a ceremony at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium in early 2026. Hill and Lefau are hoping their travel plans will include a trip to Memorial Stadium.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Longhorns linebacker duo selected to Butkus Award watch list