The preseason awards continue to roll out ahead of the start of the FCS season with the announcement of the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List.
The Stats Perform list contains four HBCU names, including the SWAC and MEAC’s respective Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Ckelby Givens adds another preseason honor to his resume, having also been named to the FCS Preseason All-American team.
Givens’ breakout 2023 season saw him put up 61 tackles, 21.0 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, and four forced fumbles and be named to the All-SWAC First Team.
Meanwhile, MEAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Kenny Gallop also appears on the Buck Buchanan Award watch list after being selected to the FCS Preseason All-American team.
Gallop, who was named the conference’s defensive player of the year last season, helped lead Howard to its first outright MEAC title since 1993.
He recorded 59 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, three pass breakups, and a forced fumble in nine games last year.
Florida A&M defensive back Kendall Bohler’s name was also mentioned on the Buck Buchanan Award watch list.
As a member of the famed ‘Dark Cloud Defense,’ Bohler played a significant role on a Florida A&M team that won its first SWAC championship and Celebration Bowl last season.
He finished the year with 39 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, an interception, and 14 pass breakups while being named to the All-SWAC First Team.
Morgan State linebacker Erick Hunter rounds out the HBCU players named to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list.
Hunter’s 2023 season saw him amass 75 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
The Buck Buchanan Award, named after Grambling State Hall of Fame defender Buck Buchanan, was first presented in 1995 and has seen six HBCU players win the award in its history.
Three of the last four Buck Buchanan Award winners have come from HBCUs, including the reigning recipient, Terrell Allen, from Tennessee State (he has since transferred).
