The Buck Buchanan Award is presented to the FCS national defensive player of the year and boasts a rich history of recipients. Three of the 35 finalists for the 2024 Buchanan – the 30th anniversary season – have been invited to the announcement at the Stats Perform banquet.
Two dominating pass rushers and the FCS leader in interceptions have been invited to the announcement of the 2024 Buck Buchanan Award, which will be presented to the national defensive player of the year in the Division I subdivision.
In its 30th anniversary season, the Buck Buchanan Award is down from 35 finalists across 13 FCS conferences to defensive ends Jeremiah Grant of Richmond and David Walker of Central Arkansas and Mercer cornerback TJ Moore. The recipient, selected after the regular season by a national voting panel, will be announced at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet on Jan. 4 in Frisco, Texas.
Grant, a 6-foot-2, 245-pound redshirt senior from South Orange, New Jersey, is an All-CAA Football standout who helped Richmond to an unbeaten conference record while racking up 45 tackles (31 solos), 16.5 tackles for loss (108 yards), an FCS-high 12.5 sacks (98 yards), two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, six QB hurries and two pass breakups. He added three more TFLs and one sack in a playoff game this past Saturday.
Moore, a 6-foot, 185-pound senior from Riverdale, Georgia, has an FCS-leading seven interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), helping Mercer to a 10-2 record and its first Southern Conference championship. He also racked up 54 tackles (38 solos), 11 pass breakups and two QB hurries during the regular season. The Bears will host Rhode Island in a playoff game on Saturday.
Walker, a 6-3, 260-pound senior from Stuttgart, Arkansas, is a three-time Buchanan finalist who finished third in the 2022 voting. This season, the United Athletic Conference standout had 68 tackles (45 solos), 23 TFLs (121 yards), 10.5 sacks (91 yards), four forced fumbles, eight QB hurries and six pass breakups. Central Arkansas had a 6-6 record.
The Buck Buchanan Award is named for legendary defensive lineman Junious “Buck” Buchanan, who starred at Grambling State as part of his Hall of Fame career. Past recipients include Dexter Coakley, Rashean Mathis, Jared Allen and Arthur Moats.
In addition to the Buck Buchanan Award, the Walter Payton Award (FCS Offensive Player of the Year), Jerry Rice Award (FCS Freshman Player of the Year), Eddie Robinson Award (FCS Coach of the Year), Urban Edge Network HBCU+ National Player of the Year and FedEx Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be presented at the Stats Perform awards banquet.
2024 Buck Buchanan Award Voting
Following is a breakdown of the voting results (top three to be announced on Jan. 4). A first-place vote was worth five points, a second-place vote four points, a third-place vote three points, a fourth-place vote two points and a fifth-place vote one point. The final number is the combined point total.
Jeremiah Grant, DE, Richmond: Jan. 4, TBA
TJ Moore, CB, Mercer: Jan. 4, TBA
David Walker, DE, Central Arkansas: Jan. 4, TBA
4. Mi’Quise Grace, DL, South Dakota: 7-5-4-1-2-71
5. Josiah Silver, DE, New Hampshire: 2-2-7-3-4-49
T6. Ckelby Givens, DE, Southern: 1-7-0-1-8-43
T6. Bryce Norman, LB, Southeast Missouri: 2-3-2-7-1-43
8. Blake Gotcher, LB, Northwestern State: 4-2-2-1-2-38
9. Brody Grebe, DE, Montana State: 4-2-2-1-1-37
10. Elijah Williams, DE, Morgan State: 1-4-3-0-1-31
11. Brandon Tucker, LB, East Texas A&M: 1-0-3-5-2-26
12. Kenny Gallop Jr., S, Howard: 2-1-0-2-1-19
13. A.J. Pena, LB, Rhode Island: 0-0-3-3-3-18
14. Eli Mostaert, DT, North Dakota State: 0-1-2-3-1-17
15. Gideon Lampron, LB, Dayton: 0-1-0-2-7-15
16. Keyshawn James-Newby, DE, Idaho: 0-1-1-2-0-11
T17. Eli Ennis, LB, McNeese: 0-0-2-1-2-10
T17. Cabel Francl, LB, South Dakota State: 0-1-1-1-1-10
T17. David Meyer, LB, UC Davis: 0-1-1-0-3-10
20. Ben Bogle, LB, Southern Illinois: 0-0-0-3-3-9
21. Noah Martin, LB, Samford: 0-0-0-3-2-8
T22. Andrew Jones, LB, Grambling State: 0-1-1-0-0-7
T22. Jalen Jones, CB, William & Mary: 0-0-1-1-2-7
T24. Brayden Manley, DE, Mercer: 0-0-0-1-3-5
T24. Saiku White, S, Lafayette: 0-0-1-0-2-5
T26. Abu Kamara, S, Yale: 0-0-0-2-0-4
T26. Finn Claypool, DE, Drake: 0-1-0-0-0-4
T28. Mason Chambers, S, UIW: 0-0-1-0-0-3
T28. Matt Jaworski, DE, Fordham: 0-0-1-0-0-3
T28. Hayden McDonald, CB, Columbia: 0-0-1-0-0-3
31. Jalen McClelland, CB, Tennessee State: 0-0-0-1-0-2
32. Kimal Clark, S, Central Connecticut State: 0-0-0-0-1-1
T33. Mike DeNucci, LB, Lehigh: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T33. Will Shaffer, LB, Abilene Christian: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T33. Jaylon Sharpe, LB, UT Martin: 0-0-0-0-0-0
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