Lavonte David

Honors & Awards

• First-Team All-American (AFC, CBS, Yahoo.com, ESPN.com, Phil Steele, 2011; Rivals.com, CBSSports.com, 2010)
• Second-Team All-American (AP, Walter Camp, Sports Illustrated, 2011; AP, SI.com, 2010)
• Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year (2011)
• Butkus Award Finalist (1 of 6, 2011)
• First-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches, Media, ESPN.com, Yahoo.com, Phil Steele, 2011)
• Chuck Bednarik Award Semifinalist (1 of 8, 2011)
• Lott Trophy Semifinalist (1 of 8, 2011)
• Lott IMPACT Player of the Week (vs. Ohio State; vs. Michigan State, 2011)
• Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (vs. Iowa, 2011)
• Nebraska Team MVP (2011)
• Nebraska Lifter of the Year (2011)
• Guy Chamberlin Award Winner (2011)
• Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (Kansas City Star, 2010)
• Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year (Kansas City Star, 2010)
• Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (Coaches, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2010
• Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year
•     (AP, Dallas Morning News, San Antonio Express-News, 2010)
• First-Team All-Big 12 (Unanimous)
• Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 7 at Kansas State, 2010
• Nebraska Defensive MVP (2010)
• School-Record Holder for Most Career Tackles by a Two-Year Player (285)

Career
Linebacker Lavonte David completed one of the most impressive two-year careers in Nebraska football history with an All-America season in 2011. David had a banner year as a senior in 2011, making his mark as one of the top linebackers in the nation and one of the top defensive players in Husker history.

David earned first-team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association and CBSSports.com and second-team accolades from the Walter Camp Foundation. He was also a finalist for the Butkus Award and received Big Ten Linebacker-of-the-Year honors in 2011.

The 6-1, 225-pound David led Nebraska with 133 tackles in 2011, and ranked third in the Big Ten in tackles per game. He had six games in 2011 with 10 or more tackles, including a season-high 17 tackles at Michigan. David also led Nebraska in tackles for loss (13), sacks (5.5), interceptions (2), fumbles caused (2) and fumble recoveries (2).

David has a flair for the dramatic, making key plays at crucial times in games. He had a fumble caused and recovered against Ohio State that triggered the biggest comeback in Nebraska history, and he made a critical 4th-and-1 tackle to preserve a victory at Penn State.

David totaled 285 career tackles to rank fourth on the Husker career tackles list. David also posted two of the top five single-season tackle totals in school history, including a school-record 152 tackles in 2010.

2011 (Senior / Game-by-Game)
Chattanooga: David totaled a team-high nine tackles, including a TFL, as Nebraska held UTC to seven points and 230 total yards. Fresno State: Reached double figures in tackles for the ninth time in his career, matching Will Compton with a game-high 15 tackles. Washington: Made eight stops and intercepted Keith Price at the NU 13-yard line after Washington drove deep into Husker territory. Wyoming: Keyed a defense that allowed 305 total yards, as he had six tackles. Wisconsin: Was one of the highlights for the Husker defense as he tied career highs in sacks (two) and tackles for loss (three) as part of a seven-tackle effort against the Badgers. Ohio State: Turned in a dominant defensive performance in the Huskers' comeback win...Reached double figure tackles for the 10th time in 20 career games with a game-high 13 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a tackle for loss...Provided the turning point with his strip and fumble recovery of OSU quarterback Braxton Miller in the third quarter to set up a Husker score. Minnesota: Led the Huskers with six tackles, including a stop on 4th and 1 at the Nebraska 19 in the second quarter. Michigan State: Keyed a Blackshirt effort that held the Spartans to three points, totaling 13 tackles, including six solo stops. Northwestern: Reached double figures in tackles for the fourth time in 2011, recording 11 tackles in the loss... Picked up his second interception of the season, as he caught a deflected pass that led to a Husker field goal. Penn State: Anchored a Husker defense that limited the Nittany Lions to 14 points, finishing with nine tackles... Delivered the biggest play of the game, stopping Silas Redd on 4th-and-1 at the Nebraska 37 with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter. Michigan: Reached double figures in tackles for the fifth time in 2011 with a season-high 17 tackles, including three tackles for loss. Iowa: Led the Huskers in tackles with eight, including five solo stops, while also adding one sack, two pass breakups, one QB hurry and a forced fumble and recovery. South Carolina: Capped his career with 11 tackles, including eight solo stops in the Capital One Bowl... tied his career best with two sacks, totaling 14 yards in losses.

2010 (Junior)
David posted 152 tackles in his first season to set a Cornhusker single-season record for tackles, surpassing Barrett Ruud's 149 tackles in 2003. David had eight games with double-figure tackle totals, including three games with 15 or more tackles. His 10.9 tackles per game ranked atop the Big 12 and 11th nationally. David was second on the team in sacks with six for 50 yards, tackles for loss (15-60) and pass breakups (10). 

David was a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 choice and Defensive Newcomer of the Year by nearly every outlet that chooses a team, while The Kansas City Star tabbed him as its Defensive Player of the Year. David also earned recognition at the national level as Rivals.com and CBSSports.com both named him a first-team All-American and the Associated Press and SI.com listed him as a second-team All-America pick.

David stepped into the starting lineup in the opener against Western Kentucky and recorded a team-high 13 stops. He had seven tackles and a 13-yard sack a week later against Idaho, then had a tackle for loss, two hurries and a breakup at Washington. David had a career-high 19 stops against South Dakota State, the most tackles by a Husker since 2004, and the seventh-most in school history. He added two breakups in the contest.

David eclipsed double figures for the third time in 2010 at Kansas State, finishing with a game-high 16 tackles. He earned Big 12 Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors for his performance, which included 10 solo tackles and two tackles for loss, including a seven-yard sack. He reached double figures in tackles for the third straight game against Texas, finishing with 10 stops, including a tackle for loss and a hurry.

David had eight tackles each against Oklahoma State and Missouri, and added an 11-yard sack against the Tigers. He had 10 tackles and a tackle for loss at Iowa State, then collected a team-high 10 tackles, including two sacks for eight yards, as Nebraska limited Kansas to 87 total yards. David had a career-high four tackles for loss and a sack at Texas A&M, as part of 14 total tackles. After recording eight tackles against Colorado, David had a game-high 17 tackles in the Big 12 title game, including 11 solo stops. He closed the year with seven tackles against Washington.

Before Nebraska (Fort Scott CC/Miami Northwestern HS)
In 2009, Fort Scott went through the regular season undefeated before losing in the JUCO national championship game. David ranked among the Jayhawk Conference leaders in total tackles and tackles for loss in 2009, racking up nearly 10 tackles per game, while recording 19.5 tackles for loss totaling 65 yards. David excelled in the narrow loss to Blinn Junior College in the national championship game and was named Defensive MVP of the contest.

During his first season under Coach Jeff Sims at Fort Scott in 2008, David led the Jayhawk Conference with 93 tackles. His play helped the team to a 9-2 record and No. 6 final national ranking.

For his strong play the past two seasons, David was a two-time first-team All-Jayhawk Conference pick and was a Region VI All-American in 2009. He was ranked as the No. 7 overall junior college prospect in the country by Rivals.com, which also listed him as the No. 2 linebacker. SuperPrep listed him among the top 40 JUCO prospects in the country.

David is originally from Miami, where he played at national prep powerhouse Miami Northwestern. While he was at the school, Northwestern won back-to-back state titles in 2006 and 2007, and finished with unbeaten records each year. In 2007, Northwestern was listed as the No. 1 team in the country by USA Today.

David also considered South Florida, Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor and Tennessee among others.

Personal
Lavonte is the son of Lynette David and he was born on Jan. 23, 1990. A criminology and criminal justice major, he returned to Nebraska to earn his bachelor's degree in May of 2021, just months after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a victory in the Super Bowl. David has volunteered his time with team hospital visits and the Husker Heroes program.

David's Career Statistics

.	.	Tackles			.	.	Fum.	.	.	.	QB
Year	G/S	UT	AT	TT	TFL	Sacks	C-R	BK	PBU	PI	Hry.
2010	14/14	84	68	152	15-60	6.0-50	0-0	0	10	0	7
2011	13/13	65	68	133	13-64	5.5-46	3-2	0	2	2	3
Totals	27/27	149	136	285	28-124	11.5-96	3-2	0	12	2	10

Single-Game Highs
» Tackles- 19 vs. South Dakota State (2010)
» Solo Tackles- 14 at Michigan (2011)
» Tackles for Loss- 4 at Texas A&M (2010)
» Sacks- 2.0 three times (vs. Kansas, 2010; at Michigan, 2011; vs. South Carolina, 2011)
» Pass Breakups- 2 four times (most recently vs. Iowa, 2011)
» Interceptions- 1 twice (vs. Washington, vs. Northwestern, both in 2011)