The Buck Buchanan Award is given annually to the most outstanding defensive player in FCS football. Andrew Zock, Mercer’s defensive end, got the 2025 award two days before the FCS championship game.
Stats Perform FCS presents the annual honor, so here’s everything you need to know.
What is the FCS Buck Buchanan Award, and who was it named after?
The Buck Buchanan Award was established in 1995 to recognize the best outstanding defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.
A nationwide panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers, and other dignitaries selects the award winner based on players’ regular-season performances. Voting occurs prior to the commencement of the FCS playoffs.
The Buck Buchanan Award is one of five national awards announced by STATS FCS:
- Walter Payton Award (FCS offensive player of the year)
- Buck Buchanan Award (FCS defensive player of the year)
- Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman of the year)
- Eddie Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year)
- Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Junious “Buck” Buchanan, the namesake of the defensive player of the year award, was an AFL and NFL star with the Dallas Texans and Kansas City Chiefs, winning eight consecutive AFL All-Star and NFL Pro Bowl appearances, two AFL Championships, and a Super Bowl IV championship. The 1963 first-round pick started his career at FCS program Grambling State from 1959 to 1962.
Buchanan, an All-American defensive tackle, is 6’7″ and weighs 280 pounds. After enrolling at Grambling State on a “if” scholarship, Buchanan rapidly established himself as one of the best players in school history. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
When is the FCS Buck Buchanan Award winner announced?
The winner of the Buck Buchanan Award is announced yearly at the STATS FCS Awards Banquet and Presentation, held the night before the FCS championship game. The recipient for 2025 was revealed on Saturday, January 3, during a live broadcast.
All six STATS FCS national awards are presented at the ceremony, with the Jerry Rice, Eddie Robinson, HBCU National Player of the Year, and Doris Robinson winners revealed ahead of time. The winners of the Payton and Buchanan awards are disclosed for the first time during the ceremony.
STATS FCS releases its inaugural 35-man Buck Buchanan Award watch list during the preseason. The list was updated occasionally throughout the regular season, ending with the invitation of finalists to the banquet.
FCS Buck Buchanan Award: A complete list of prior honorees
Andrew Zock, Mercer defensive end, earned the 2025 Buck Buchanan Award as the greatest defensive player in FCS football, defeating fellow top-three finalists James Conway (Fordham) and Joshua Stoneking. Zock is the first Mercer player to get the award in its 29-year history. In 12 regular-season games, the Bear defensive end recorded 46 tackles (24 solo), 20.0 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and 23 quarterback hurries.
Since the award’s debut in 1995, linebackers and defensive ends have won the most, with 15 each. A defensive tackle and a cornerback have also been honored. Cal Poly and Montana led every school with three wins each.
Only one player has won the award in consecutive years: Appalachian State outstanding linebacker Dexter Coakley won in 1995 and 1996, the first two seasons in the award’s history.
Other prominent former winners include future NFL players Jared Allen (Idaho State, 2003) and Rashean Mathis (Bethune-Cookman, 2002). See the complete list below.
FCS Buck Buchanan Award winners (1995-2025):
| YEAR | WINNER, SCHOOL | POSITION | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Andrew Zock, Mercer | Defensive End | Top moments |
| 2024 | David Walker, Central Arkansas | Defensive End | Top moments |
| 2023 | Terrell Allen, Tennessee State | Defensive End | Top moments |
| 2022 | Zeke Vandenburg, Illinois State | Linebacker | Top moments |
| 2021 | Isaiah Land, Florida A&M | Linebacker | Top plays |
| 2020 | Jordan Lewis, Southern | Defensive End | |
| 2019 | Dante Olson, Montana | Linebacker | |
| 2018 | Zach Hall, Southeast Missouri State | Linebacker | |
| 2017 | Darius Jackson, Jacksonville State | Defensive End | |
| 2016 | Karter Schult, Northern Iowa | Defensive End | |
| 2015* | Tyrone Holmes, Montana | Linebacker | |
| 2015 | Deon King, Norfolk State | Linebacker | |
| 2014 | Kyle Emanuel, North Dakota State | Defensive End | |
| 2013 | Brad Daly, Montana State | Defensive End | |
| 2012 | Caleb Schreibeis, Montana State | Defensive End | |
| 2011 | Matt Evans, New Hampshire | Linebacker | |
| 2010 | J.C. Sherritt, Eastern Washington | Linebacker | |
| 2009 | Arthur Moats, James Madison | Defensive End | |
| 2008 | Greg Peach, Eastern Washington | Defensive End | |
| 2007 | Kroy Biermann, Montana | Defensive End | |
| 2006 | Kyle Shotwell, Cal Poly | Linebacker | |
| 2005 | Chris Gocong, Cal Poly | Defensive End | |
| 2004 | Jordan Beck, Cal Poly | Linebacker | |
| 2003 | Jared Allen, Idaho State | Defensive End | |
| 2002 | Rashean Mathis, Bethune-Cookman | Cornerback | |
| 2001 | Derrick Lloyd, James Madison | Linebacker | |
| 2000 | Edgerton Hartwell, Western Illinois | Linebacker | |
| 1999 | Al Lucas, Troy State | Defensive Tackle | |
| 1998 | James Milton, Western Illinois | Linebacker | |
| 1997 | Chris McNeil, North Carolina A&T | Defensive End | |
| 1996 | Dexter Coakley, Appalachian State | Linebacker | |
| 1995 | Dexter Coakley, Appalachian State | Linebacker |
*-Stats Perform FCS Defensive Player of the Year
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