Cincinnati senior linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. was named the National Linebacker of the Month by the Butkus Award on Wednesday – just one day after earning semifinalist distinction for the honor given to the nation's top linebacker.
Pace Jr. leads the nation with 16.0 tackles for loss and ranks tied for 10th in sacks (7.0) and tied for 12th in tackles (10.38) for a Bearcats' defense that ranks sixth nationally in yards per play allowed (4.33).
His 92.2 grade for the season by Pro Football Focus ranks second nationally behind only his teammate Dontay Corleone (92.4), a redshirt freshman nose tackle.
Pace Jr. was named a Midseason All-American by the Associated Press, ESPN, The Athletic and Pro Football Focus.
In Week 4, he was outstanding against Indiana, tallying 15 tackles, 4.5 TFLs (fifth-most in UC history), 2.5 sacks and three QB hurries en route to AAC Defensive Player of the Week, Bednarik National Player of the Week and PFF Defensive Player of the Week honors.
He is a two-time PFF National Team of the Week honoree and two-time member of the AAC Weekly Honor Roll.
Pace Jr. finished 10th in the nation with 125 tackles in 2021 while playing for Miami (Ohio). He had six sacks in a game for the Redhawks against Akron in 2019, as well.
// MORE INFORMATION ON THE BUTKUS AWARD
The Butkus Foundation will announce the winner of the award on or before Dec. 7 after finalists are named on Nov. 21 by the award committee.
The 2022 Butkus Award winner will be honored at a televised event on Jan. 21, 2023, at the Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The event will again feature namesake Dick Butkus and numerous noted NFL Alumni. Ticket and sponsorship information is available by contacting the Butkus Foundation.
// LIMITED SINGLE-GAME TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE
There are still a limited number of single game tickets available for the regular season finale versus Tulane. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
Original source can be found here.
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