Utah State's Fackrell, Vigil land on Lombardi Award watch list


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LOGAN — Utah State senior linebacker Kyler Fackrell landed on two more watch lists Tuesday morning when the Rotary Lombardi Award and the Dick Butkus Award committees revealed their lists ahead of the 2015-16 season.

Junior standout Nick Vigil joined Fackrell on the Lombardi Award watch list. The two Aggie linebackers were two of 145 players named to the watch list, which also includes BYU's Bronson Kaufusi, Manoa Pikula and Tejan Koroma, as well as Utah's Hunter Dimick.

The Rotary Lombardi Award is given to the nation's top down lineman, either on offense or defense, who sets up no farther than 10 yards as well as linebackers who set up within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. All candidates previously received All-American, all-conference or 2015 preseason honors.

The Butkus Award, which has 51 candidates, honors the nation's top lineman in honor of former NFL legend Dick Butkus.

Fackrell, a 6-foot-2, 245-pound native of Mesa, Arizona, played in just one game as a junior before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in the season-opener at Tennessee. As a sophomore in 2013, he was a second-team all-Mountain West linebacker with 82 tackles and 13 tackles for loss, averaging 5.9 tackles per game.

USU linebacker Kyler Fackrell during Utah State University football team practice, Aug. 5, 2014, in Logan. (Photo: Tom Smart/Deseret News)
USU linebacker Kyler Fackrell during Utah State University football team practice, Aug. 5, 2014, in Logan. (Photo: Tom Smart/Deseret News)

Vigil, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound native of Plain City, received all-Mountain West first-team honors last year when he racked up 123 tackles, 16 1/2 tackles for loss, seven sacks, five forced fumbles and six quarterback hurries. The younger brother of 2014 Mountain West defensive player of the year Zach Vigil also saw time at running back when injuries necessitated a move to the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Arizona junior Scooby Wright won the Lombardi Award last season and is among the favorites to repeat the honor. Among the Butkus Awards' top watch list candidates are 2014 finalist Jaylon Smith of Notre Dame and returning semifinalists Reggie Ragland of Alabama, Myles Jack of UCLA, Jordan Jenkins of Georgia and Eric Striker of Oklahoma.

Semifinalists for the award will be named Nov. 2, finalists on Nov. 23 and a winner will be notified by Dec. 8.

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