For the fourth time ever, an HBCU defensive player has won the Buck Buchanan Award and it was Florida A&M linebacker Isaiah Land.
Land also became also the second-straight year HBCU defender to win the award in as many seasons, joining Southern defensive end Jordan Lewis, who won it during the 2021 spring season.
Also read: Florida A&M linebacker Isaiah Land nominated for Buchanan Award
Land demolished the stat sheet this past season recording 43 total tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 19 sacks, three pass breakups, and three forced fumbles.
The junior linebacker led the FCS in total tackles for loss and sacks for a Florida A&M team that ranked 10th in points allowed per game during the year.
In addition to winning the Buck Buchanan Award, Land was also named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year.
In Florida A&M’s first season in the SWAC, the Rattlers finished with a 9-3 overall record and a 7-1 record in conference during the season becoming the first HBCU football team selected to the FCS playoffs since 2016.
With Markquese Bell looking secure a spot in the NFL, Land will have the keys to the kingdom on the Florida A&M defense.
Should he win the award next year, he will be the first player to win it in consecutive years since Appalachian State linebacker Dexter Coakley won it in the first two years of its existence.
