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Jalon Walker Wins 40th Annual Collegiate Butkus Award
The 40th annual collegiate Butkus Award® honoring the nation’s best collegiate linebacker was presented today to Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker. The award was presented formally during a surprise appearance by Matt Butkus, son of linebacker legend Dick Butkus.
The 6-2, 245-lb. junior linebacker from Salisbury, N.C., has lined up inside and outside and produced 57 tackles, including 10.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks with two fumble recoveries and a pass breakup. Walker is the third Georgia Bulldog to win the award, all in the last eight years, joining Nakobe Dean (2021) and Roquan Smith (2017).
The Butkus Award Selection Committee said, “Jalon Walker’s versatility distinguished his
contribution to Georgia’s defense. He lined up all over the field and was impactful making plays at critical times on big stages. His all-around performance and hybrid skill set rose to the top of a very strong, deserving group of linebackers that was as equally distributed in vote totals as any race the past two decades.”
Walker received 33% of first-place votes and led the field with 26% of the overall vote, followed by Danny Stutsman of Oklahoma (19%), Barrett Carter of Clemson (17%), Carson Schwesinger of UCLA (16%) and Chris Paul Jr. of Mississippi (14%). Additionally, Jay Higgins of Iowa, Nick Martin of Oklahoma State, Jackson Woodard of UNLV and Shaun Dolac of Buffalo each received write-in votes.
The Butkus Award selection committee focuses on qualities that defined Dick Butkus’ career: toughness, on-field leadership, competitiveness, football character and linebacking skills.
A Butkus Award celebration featuring the 2024 winners is planned Saturday, February 1, 2025,
at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois, where the Award’s namesake the late Dick Butkus established his legendary career. The celebration will be featured in the Butkus Award special airing on the Big Ten Network in February 2025. More information will be at available www.butkusfoundation.org.
Last season’s collegiate winner was Payton Wilson of North Carolina State (now Pittsburgh
Steelers), the high school winner was Sammy Brown of Jefferson, Ga. (now Clemson) and the pro winner was Roquan Smith of the Baltimore Ravens, who also won the pro award in 2022 and the collegiate award in 2017.
The 2024 high school Butkus Award was presented to Christian Jones of Omaha Westside earlier this week. The 2024 pro Butkus Award will be presented in January.
About the Butkus Award: Founded in 1985, the Butkus Award honors linebackers at three
levels while supporting causes important to the Butkus family. Causes include Butkus Takes Heart™ initiative encouraging early cardiovascular screening among adults, and the I Play Clean® initiative encouraging athletes to train naturally without performance-enhancing drugs.
The Butkus Foundation has presented the high school and professional awards since 2008. The collegiate award is now in its 40th season.
Georgia’s 2025 Football Schedule Announced
Georgia football’s 2025 schedule was released on the Southeastern Conference Football Schedule Reveal Show that aired on ESPN2 and the SEC Network Wednesday evening.
Georgia’s schedule is highlighted by seven home games, including Texas’ first-ever trip to Athens on Nov. 15, 2025. The Bulldogs also host SEC foes Alabama, Kentucky and Ole Miss as part of an eight-game conference slate.
The Bulldogs open 2025 with a home contest against the Thundering Herd on Aug. 30, marking Marshall’s first trip to Athens since Georgia’s 13-3 win in 2004. The following weekend, the Bulldogs host Austin Peay for just the second time in program history, before hitting the road on Sept. 13 to face Tennessee in the first SEC game of the season.
The Bulldogs will have an open date between the contest with the Vols and the home game against Alabama on Sept. 27, when the Crimson Tide plays in Athens for the first timesince 2015. Following a home game against Kentucky on Oct. 4, Georgia heads to Auburn on Oct. 11 and then hosts Ole Miss on Oct. 18.
That sets up another open date before the annual showdown with Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., on Nov. 1. The Bulldogs then conclude the month of November at Mississippi State, before hosting Texas and Charlotte and traveling to Georgia Tech on Nov. 29. It will mark the first-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and 49ers, while the matchup against Tech will take place at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium instead of Grant Field.
Georgia’s 2025 Football Schedule
Aug. 30 MARSHALL
Sept. 6 AUSTIN PEAY
Sept. 13 at Tennessee
Sept. 20 Open Date
Sept. 27 ALABAMA
Oct. 4 KENTUCKY
Oct. 11 at Auburn
Oct. 18 OLE MISS
Oct. 25 Open Date
Nov. 1 vs. Florida (Jacksonville)
Nov. 8 at Mississippi State
Nov. 15 TEXAS
Nov. 22 CHARLOTTE
Nov. 29 vs. Georgia Tech (Atlanta)
Megan Twist and Richard Bremer recognized by Walt Disney World Resort for their heart-warming bond that is driving increased organ donations
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.– After being a life-long Florida Gators fan, Richard Bremer developed his intense love for the Georgia Bulldogs from a most unusual source – the compassionate spirit of a young University of Georgia fan and her lifesaving lung donation. As a result, this year’s Disney Spirit Award goes to Bremer and posthumously to Megan Twist, whose donated organs are saving lives and, in some ways, offering a different perspective on what it means to show school spirit.
Bremer’s life was saved by Twist’s decision to become an organ donor, and that led to Bremer relinquishing his long-time devotion to the Gators in favor of the rival Bulldogs as well as inspiring donations that are saving the lives of so many others.
Their inspiring story embodies the meaning of the Disney Spirit Award, which was recently presented to Bremer and Twist’s sisters on her behalf at Walt Disney World Resort. They are the 29th recipients of the annual award, which traditionally has been one of the many prestigious awards handed out at the “Home Depot College Football Awards” on ESPN on Dec. 12 (9 p.m. – 11 p.m. EST). ESPN will also announce the award again during the College Football Award show.
Since 1996, Walt Disney World has presented the award to the most inspirational figures in college football, recognizing people who embody strength of spirit in the face of tremendous adversity. Bremer and Twist’s family, who were presented with dual bronze trophies during their recent visit to Walt Disney World Resort, are the first recipients with ties to the University of Georgia.
Their inspiring journey was captured in a recent feature on ESPN’s College GameDay, which was viewed by millions and helped raise awareness about organ and tissue donation.
“Everyone at Walt Disney World was deeply moved by Richard and Megan’s incredible story,” said ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex vice president Adam Ball. “They are an inspiring example of the strength and compassion it takes to help others and it’s our honor to recognize both of them with this year’s Disney Spirit Award.”
In 1996, Bremer, a carpenter from Jacksonville, Fla., was diagnosed with a degenerative lung disease called sarcoidosis. By 2012, his lung function had plummeted to just 20 percent, necessitating a lung transplant. After four years of waiting, he received a life-changing phone call that a match had been found. The donor was Twist, a 23-year-old from Georgia who was tragically killed in a car accident. Remarkably, Twist registered as an organ and tissue donor just a few months prior on her 23rd birthday.
“Megan was the biggest Georgia Bulldogs fan there was, so it’s great to know that her name is always going to be associated with this award,” said Twist’s sister, Carolyn Hostetler. “She’s my hero and I know she’s Richard’s hero as well.”
The surgery to save Bremer’s life lasted 10 hours, and he was placed in a medically induced coma for several weeks. Upon waking and learning of Twist’s loyalty to the Georgia Bulldogs, Bremer felt compelled to shift his own football loyalty to the Bulldogs in honor of her.
Since the surgery, Bremer and Twist’s family have been dedicated to raising awareness for organ donation. He has served as a spokesperson for LifeLink Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to help as many people as possible through organ and tissue transplantation. Bremer keeps a photo of Twist on his phone, which appears six times a day whenever his alarm goes off, reminding him to take his medications.
Hostetler has also been deeply involved in honoring her sister’s memory. Hostetler works as a hospital development specialist with LifeLink of Florida, a division of the LifeLink Foundation, facilitating their partnerships with hospitals.
“I celebrate (Twist’s organ donation) every day when I wake up,” said Bremer. “Getting to breathe every day, having her as a part of my life. She’s with me every day. Getting to bring her to Walt Disney World with me and receive the Spirit Award, I’m carrying her spirit with me.”
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