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Rutgers’ Olakunle Fatukasi named semifinalist for Butkus award

Olakunle Fatukasi has officially placed himself in a place where many Rutgers fans knew he belonged—among the top linebackers in college football.

On Monday morning, the Butkus Foundation released its list of the top 16 linebackers in the nation and Fatukasi made the cut as a semifinalist.

Through six weeks of the season, Fatukasi leads the Big Ten in tackles with 75, which is 14 more than Iowa LB Nick Niemann, who is in second place. Fatukasi also has nine tackles for a loss, good for second in the conference. He currently ranks fifth in the nation with 12.