Stats Perform announced their finalists for the 30th annual Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in all of FCS football. Several HBCU players are among the 35 finalists for the award.
Ckelby Givens of Southern and Morgan State’s Elijah Williams headline the defensive line nominees. Williams, a senior, set the Bears’ career sack record this season (30), while also recording 15 tackles for loss and 11 sacks this season, to go along with a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Redshirt junior Givens recorded nine sacks and a whopping 24.5 tackles for loss in helping the Jaguars advance to the SWAC championship game.
Grambling redshirt junior Andrew Jones is among the nominees at linebacker. Jones, so far this season, has recorded 112 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and two sacks.
Kenny Gallop Jr. of Howard and Jalen McClendon of Tennessee State round out the nominees in the defensive backfield.
Gallop, who is gaining considerable attention as an NFL prospect, recorded 77 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, two sacks, and four pass breakups for the Bison.
McClendon is part of a stellar TSU secondary, recording 53 tackles, 12 pass breakups, and an interception leading into the Tigers’ first-round FCS playoff game at Montana this weekend.
The winner of the Buck Buchanan Award, as well as all FCS Awards, will be announced on Saturday, Jan. 4, at the Stats Perform Awards banquet in Frisco, Texas.
