Claiborne a Butkus Finalist

Chris Claiborne is a step closer to becoming the first USC player to win the Butkus Award after being named one of three finalists for the trophy that honors the nation’s best linebacker.

The big news: Ohio State’s Andy Katzenmoyer, who won the Butkus as a sophomore last season, isn’t among the final three.

The other finalists are Florida’s Jevon Kearse and Texas A&M;’s Dat Nguyen, whose only advantage over Claiborne might be their teams are more highly ranked.

The winner of the award, presented by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, after voting by a 27-member national media committee, will be announced Dec. 11 at Universal Studios Florida.

“I’m just honored to be in this group,” said Claiborne, a junior who has 88 tackles, five sacks and four interceptions, including two he returned for touchdowns. “It feels great.”

USC Coach Paul Hackett called Claiborne “the pulse of our football team.”

“A lot of great players at USC have worn No. 55--Junior Seau, Willie McGinest--and none have been in this elite group [as Butkus finalists],” Hackett said.

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There’s one person uniquely qualified to judge two of the three Butkus finalists: Trojan linebacker coach Shawn Slocum came to USC from Texas A&M; and knows Claiborne and Nguyen well.

“I’d have to split my vote,” Slocum said. “Other than size [Claiborne is 6-3, 250 and Nguyen is 5-11, 220] they’re so similar. Dedicated, even-keel guys. The thing Chris has going for him is he has two big ballgames, playing UCLA and Notre Dame, to show what he can do.”

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Claiborne’s draft stock keeps shooting upward, and he says he’s “going to enjoy this ride” and decide after the season whether to declare for the draft.

The main factors in his decision will be his family’s feelings, his projected draft position and USC’s situation as a team.

“We’ll have a very good team, young guys, a recruiting class coming in,” Claiborne said. “We’ll be pretty good. I’ll take this into consideration. The best thing is I have options. I can come back or I can leave.”