Penn State linebacker Kooper Ebel has been named to the Butkus Award Watch List, recognizing him as one of the nation’s top linebackers entering the 2026 college football season.
Presented annually to the nation’s premier linebacker, the Butkus Award honors players who excel in production, leadership and overall impact on the defensive side of the ball. Ebel joins the Nittany Lions after spending the first three seasons of his collegiate career at Iowa State, where he established himself as one of the Big 12’s most productive linebackers.
Ebel is coming off a breakout 2025 campaign in which he totaled 53 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and two pass breakups. According to Pro Football Focus, he earned a 65.1 overall defensive grade while consistently making plays around the line of scrimmage.
His best performances came late in the season. Ebel recorded a career-high 11 tackles against TCU while forcing a fumble, then closed the regular season with 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry against Oklahoma State. He also posted nine tackles, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup against Arizona State.
The 6-foot-4, 233-pound linebacker was equally productive in 2024, finishing with 51 tackles, eight tackles for loss and a sack while appearing in all 14 games. He registered a season-high nine tackles against Houston and recorded at least six tackles in five contests.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Over three seasons at Iowa State, Ebel accumulated 149 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and three pass breakups before transferring to Penn State.
Previous Butkus Award winners for Penn State include LaVar Arrington (1999) and Paul Posluszny (2005).
No. 17 Penn State will open the Matt Campbell era on September 5 against Marshall at 3:30 PM (Eastern) from Beaver Stadium.
