Florida linebacker Myles Graham was named to the 2026 Collegiate Watch List for the Butkus Award, which honors the top linebacker in the country. Graham, a junior, has appeared in all 25 games for Florida over the past two seasons, including 12 starts last year. He has amassed 106 total tackles (45 solo), five pass deflections, one interception and one forced fumble. Among SEC players in 2025, he was one of four players to post 75 or more tackles and 7.0 or more tackles-for-loss in the regular season. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC team in 2024 and is also on the Shriners Children's East-West Bowl 1000 List, which highlights the best talents that are eligible for the upcoming NFL draft. Graham was one of the top defensive priorities for Jon Sumrall and his staff to re-sign after taking over the program. A legacy recruit, he is the son of former Florida running back Earnest Graham.
Myles Graham → Butkus Award Watch List 🐊 @MylesGraham2_ | #GoGatorspic.twitter.com/yVnPAVB1V1 — Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) August 13, 2026 More on the Dick Butkus Award "Instituted in 1985, The Butkus Award is one of the elite individual honors, originally given each year to one player in college football: the most impactful linebacker in the game," reads the award's official website. "In 2008, The Butkus Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, took stewardship of the award to fully realize the original purpose of honoring athletic achievement and service to the community. Since that time, the award has honored the nation’s best high school, college, and professional linebackers. "An independent Butkus Award Selection Committee conducts the selection process each year. The committee is comprised of 51 experts, including professional, college, and high school scouts, and prominent sports journalists." Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions. This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Myles Graham named to Butkus Awar Preseason watch list