Missouri star linebacker Triston Newson named to Butkus Award preseason watch list
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Missouri standout linebacker Triston Newson got the ultimate vote of confidence in late July, being named to the Butkus Award preseason watch list on Wednesday as the Tigers continue fall camp.
Newson had a whopping 71 tackles, 1 pass deflection, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble last season for Eli Drinkwitz’s surging program. He became 1 of the leaders of the Tigers’ defense in 2024 and will try to continue that progression while playing weak-side linebacker in 2025.
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In his first season at Missouri in 2023, Newson showed signs that he could be a star. He registered 51 tackles and half a sack.
Two years later, Newson is thought of as 1 of the best linebackers in the country, let alone the SEC, with the Butkus Award being presented annually to the nation’s top linebacker.
Newson traveled a winding path to Missouri, originally playing at Northeast Mississippi Community College, where he ranked 3rd among Division 1 JUCO players with 107 tackles. But Newson wanted more in his collegiate career, and he decided he wanted to play at Missouri after watching the Tigers take on Georgia during the 2022 season.
That became a reality the following season, and now in the fall of 2025, Newson has a chance to make a lasting impression in the annals of Missouri football by winning that Butkus Award.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
