Maryland football: Linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil named to Butkus Award Watch List

Senior linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil was named to the Butkus Award Watch List , one of 51 players named to the list announced by The Butkus Foundation. Cudjoe-Virgil is one of six Big Ten players named on this year's list.

The Butkus award was created in 1985 and honor's the nation's best high school and collegiate linebackers. The only Maryland player to have ever received the award was former Terp E.J. Henderson, who was honored with the award in 2002.

Being named to the list is another great achievement for Cudjoe-Virgil, a local player from Baltimore who transferred from D-II Seton Hill University to Maryland, where he eventually became a prominent player on Maryland's defense in 2013 before suffering a season-ending injury in October.

Cudjoe-Virgil joins several of his teammates in being named to preseason watch lists prior to the 2014 season. Junior wide receiver Stefon Diggs was named to both the Maxwell and Hornung watch lists for second consecutive year, kicker Brad Craddock was named to Lou Groza Award Watch List, and  Center Sal Conaboy named to Rimington Trophy Watch List.

Here is the complete list announced today:

• Stephone Anthony, Clemson
• Kelby Brown, Duke
• Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil, Maryland
• Dyshawn Davis, Syracuse
• Aaron Davis, Colorado State
• Paul Dawson, TCU
• Trey DePriest, Alabama
• Steve Edmond, Texas
• Kyler Fackrell, Utah State
• Maurice Falls, East Carolina
• Leonard Floyd, Georgia
• Kris Frost, Auburn
• Alani Fua, BYU
• Jarrett Grace, Notre Dame
• Curtis Grant, Ohio State
• Bryce Hager, Baylor
• Ben Heeney, Kansas
• Jordan Hicks, Texas
• Zach Hodges, Harvard
• Mike Hull, Penn State
• Myles Jack, UCLA
• Jordan Jenkins, Georgia
• A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
• Taiwan Jones, Michigan State
• Eric Kendricks, UCLA
• Hau'oli Kikaha, Washington
• Derrick Malone, Oregon
• Tyler Matakevich, Temple
• Derrick Matthews, Houston
• Lorenzo Mauldin, Louisville
• Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State
• Braylon Mitchell, Arkansas
• Mason Monheim, Illinois
• Mike Orakpo, Texas State
• Norkeithus Otis, North Carolina
• Denzel Perryman, Miami (Fla.)
• Terrance Plummer, UCF
• Sunny Puetasi, Wyoming
• Hayes Pullard, USC
• Reggie Ragland, Alabama
• Jake Ryan, Michigan
• Stephon Sanders, SMU
• Frank Shannon, Oklahoma
• Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame
• Terrance Smith, Florida State
• Eric Striker, Oklahoma
• A.J. Tarpley, Stanford
• John Tavai, USC
• Shaq Thompson, Washington
• James Vaughters, Stanford
• Ramik Wilson, Georgia
•