No Southwestern Athletic Conference player won the Buck Buchanan Award, awarded to the FCS’ top defensive player since 1995 … until now.
Southern defensive lineman Jordan Lewis won the award Saturday, making him the first SWAC athlete to win the award named for the Grambling State legend. The Ocala, Fla., native becomes the fourth HBCU athlete to win the award, and the first to do so since Norfolk State’s Deon King Mathis in 2015.
Lewis earned a total of 89 votes — including nine first-place votes — to win the Buchanan, putting him ahead of Presbyterian linebacker Colby Campbell and VMI linebacker Stone Snyder in the race. Prairie View’s Storey Jackson finished tied for 11th.
The junior led FCS in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (15), tackle yardage for loss (82), sack yardage (73) and sacks per game (2.1). His performance helped the 19th-ranked Jaguars finish the spring season with a 5-1 record.
The award adds to the accolades list for FCS’ active career sacks leader. The Division I Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association named him as its 2020-21 defensive player of the year, also slotting him onto its All-America team. BOXTOROW named Lewis its HBCU defensive player of the year and placed him on its HBCU All-America team.
He was named to the first-team defense for the STATS Perform All-America and the American Football Coaches Association’s FCS All-America teams while being named to the Associated Press’ FCS All-America team’s second team.
