Florida State senior linebackers Reggie Northrup and Terrance Smith were named to the Butkus Award watch list on Tuesday morning.

Northrup led FSU in 2014 with 122 tackles. He also had four tackles for loss and a sack.

Smith had 87 tackles in 12 games last season.

Marvin Jones was FSU's last Butkus Award winner in 1992. Paul McGowan also won the Butkus in 1987.

The Butkus Award honors the nation’s best linebackers.

The watch list contains 51 candidates, honoring the retired professional jersey of Dick Butkus, who is regarded by NFL Films as the best defensive player in football history. A selection panel of 51 deeply experienced coaches, evaluators and journalists will narrow the field by private ballot. Players who do not appear on the watch list are eligible for the Award.

The Collegiate Butkus Award watch list includes candidates from 35 universities and eight athletic conferences. It includes returning finalist and 2012 high school Butkus Award winner Jaylon Smith of Notre Dame and four returning semi-finalists. They include; Reggie Ragland of Alabama, Myles Jack of UCLA, Jordan Jenkins of Georgia and Eric Striker of Oklahoma. Also included is 2013 high school winner Raekwon McMillan of Ohio State.

Semi-finalists will be named November 2, finalists November 23, and winners will be notified on or before December 8.

The Butkus Award, www.thebutkusaward.com and on Facebook at 51.butkus, is presented by the Butkus Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization. The Butkus Award is part of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which includes the 22 most prestigious awards in college football with 700 years of selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org for more information.

Preseason watch list

Dominique Alexander, Oklahoma

Kendall Beckwith, LSU

Zeek Bigger, East Carolina

Joe Bolden, Michigan

Kentrell Brothers, Missouri

Richie Brown, Mississippi State

Kelby Brown, Duke

James Burgess, Louisville

De'Vondre Campbell, Minnesota

Su'a Cravens, USC

Brooks Ellis, Arkansas

Kyler Fackrell, Utah State

Travis Feeney, Washington

Leonard Floyd, Georgia

Josh Forrest, Kentucky

Kris Frost, Auburn

Darien Harris, Michigan

Myles Jack, UCLA

Cory James, Colorado State

Jordan Jenkins, Georgia

C.J. Johnson, Mississippi

Peter Kalambayi, Stanford

Raphael Kierby, Miami-Fla.

Carl Lawson, Auburn

Cory Littleton, Washington

Antonio Longino, Arizona State

Curt Maggitt, Tennessee

Blake Martinez, Stanford

Tyler Matakevich, Temple

Cassanova McKinzy, Auburn

Raekwon McMillan, Ohio State

Mason Monheim, Illinois

Nyles Morgan, Notre Dame

Antonio Morrison, Florida

Yannick Ngakoue, Maryland

Jared Norris, Utah

Reggie Northup, Florida State

Montese Overton, East Carolina

Joshua Perry, Ohio State

Reggie Ragland, Alabama

Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Tennessee

Luke Rhodes, William & Mary

Pete Robertson, Texas Tech

James Ross, Michigan

Anthony Sarao, USC

Michael Scherer, Missouri

Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame

Terrance Smith, Florida State

Eric Striker, Oklahoma

Jason Wittingham, Utah

Scooby Wright, Arizona