Illini LB Leman in select company

Illinois senior linebacker J Leman was named a semifinalist for two major awards, the Rotary Lombardi and the Butkus Award.

He is one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award, as announced by the Rotary Club of Houston, and among 10 selected for the Butkus Award sponsored by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando.

Leman, Dan Connor of Penn State and James Laurinaitis of Ohio State are the only three players represented on both award lists.

Leman ranks sixth in the nation and is the Big Ten leader in tackles at 11.6 per game, a position he has held for the past 15 weeks dating to last season.