He’s well on his way towards topping the team in stops this year, and he might be playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, as Colson was a notable omission from the 12 linebackers named semifinalists for this year’s Butkus Award.

Source: https://genevatimes.ch/the-ultimate-breakdown-of-the-best-nfl-prospects-in-the-game/

No story like that ever emerged about Butkus.

Source: https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/10/12/editorial-dick-butkus-was-made-to-play-football-in-chicago-3/

Read the names of the players in the Football Hall of Fame, and there is a who’s who of Big Ten Conference defensive players — Dick Butkus, Rod Woodson, Ray Nitschke, Alex Karras, Herb Adderley, Charles Woodson and others.

Source: https://triblive.com/sports/big-ten-riding-rugged-defenses-in-early-going-with-michigan-ohio-state-among-best/

The Cougars linebacker previously had been to the Butkus Award watch list (nation’s top college linebacker).

Source: https://www.deseret.com/2023/7/31/23814056/college-football-watch-list-tracker-utah-schools-utah-byu-utah-state