Texas Tech saw its linebacker lineage continue with a nation-leading three Red Raiders named to the Butkus Award watch list.
LUBBOCK - It seems that with every passing day, Texas Tech is getting recognized for some sort of preseason accolade. That was no different after the release of the Butkus Award watch list.
Three Red Raiders saw their names amongst those deemed the nation's best at linebacker, at least before the season gets underway.
Those were senior trio Ben Roberts, John Curry and Austin Romaine.
While it is another tremendous boost for a team looking to cement its place in the new landscape of college football, there was another reason to celebrate for Texas Tech.
With its aforementioned early contenders, the Red Raiders were the only program to notch three selections to the list.
There were seven programs with two, including Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Tennessee. And 34 other schools had at least one of their players recognized.
But none of them could quite hit the same mark set by Texas Tech.
It is fitting that Texas Tech is the initial leader for the award, at least by number of potential recipients, as the award was most recently won by another Red Raider.
Phenomenal linebacker Jacob Rodriguez brought the Butkus back to Lubbock for the first time in program history during a season that saw him claim virtually every award he was eligible for.
Two of the honorees this season lined up alongside Rodriguez in Ben Roberts and John Curry, who are looking to follow in his footsteps.
Although Romaine is a fresh face in the locker room, he had experience with Rodriguez after facing off with him as a member of Kansas State. Now, he will look to bear the torch set ablaze by his former rival.
The triple-headed monster points out a serious trend that was spearheaded by Rodriguez and could be the identity of the program moving forward.
That is developing and producing a high quantity and quality of linebackers that can rival any other program in the country.
Of course, one position cannot win a national championship. But as Rodriguez showcased last year, they can go a long way in invigorating the team and making game-changing plays in the process.
And these three are no stranger to stepping in big-time moments. Look no further than Roberts being named Big 12 Championship MVP last season for Texas Tech.
Reminder there were nine future NFL Draft picks alongside him in that game.
The bad news for Texas Tech is only one of this stellar group can go on to potentially keep the Butkus Award in Lubbock, but the good news is that all three should be genuine threats to claim the trophy.
And outside of any award, that reality should position the Red Raiders to be a nightmare matchup for squads within the Big 12 and beyond and keep them firmly at the forefront of the sport.
