It took until his senior season, but Eric Kendricks is finally gaining significant national attention.

The 6-foot, 230-pound linebacker has led UCLA in tackles in every single game this season, whether by himself or sharing the top mark. He is in the midst of his third straight 100-tackle campaign, an accomplishment only three past Bruins have matched.

With one regular-season game left against Stanford on Friday — and at least one more postseason game — Kendricks is eight tackles away from tying Jerry Robinson’s all-time school record of 468. That he’ll eventually sit alone at the top is more a matter of when than if, but he was loath to talk about the impending milestone.

“I tell everyone not to mention it,” Kendricks said. “People have a couple weeks back, but I haven’t heard anything (until) you just mentioned it.”

He should get ready for more talk through the last few weeks of the college football season. On Monday, Kendricks became one of five finalists for the Butkus Award, given each year to college football’s top linebacker. No UCLA player has ever won the Butkus, which was first given out in 1985. All-American Anthony Barr was a finalist last season, but lost out to Alabama’s C.J. Mosley.

This year, Kendricks’ stiffest competition is likely Washington’s Hau’oli Kikaha, who has 23.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. Kendricks has the edge in tackles (128 to 63) and interceptions (three to zero), but has just seven tackles for loss and two sacks.

In fact, Kikaha’s nation-leading sack total dwarfs the rest of the field. None of the other finalists — Miami’s Denzel Perryman, Michigan’s Jake Ryan, Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith — have more than two.

On Monday, Kendricks was also named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season, following his 14-tackle performance against USC. He also made a one-handed interception in the second quarter, one of the biggest plays of the 38-20 win over the Trojans.

Banged-up secondary

UCLA defensive back and returner Ishmael Adams was limited during Monday’s practice after injury his ankle on Saturday.

“He came out and he moved around,” said head coach Jim Mora. “I didn’t see much of a limp. He worked with (strength coach Sal) Alosi, mostly. I feel really good about where he’s at. And he feels really good about where he’s at. … For him to be out there doing what he was doing, I think that’s a really good sign for us.”

Cornerback Priest Willis suffered “head trauma” after colliding with teammate Kenny Young, and is still waiting to be cleared. If either he or Adams can’t play on Friday, Marcus Rios will likely move into the starting lineup.

UCLA could also drop linebacker Myles Jack into coverage. The sophomore also played some nickel and safety against USC, matching up with star receiver Nelson Agholor on certain plays.

An earlier version of this article stated that the Butkus Award is given to the nation’s top defensive player. It is in fact given to the nation’s top linebacker.