The three finalists for the 2017 FCS STATS Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the subdivision, were all seniors – Darius Jackson, Brett Taylor and Andrew Ankrah. Jackson ended up winning by one vote over Taylor. Even though these three players are gone and pursuing the NFL, the race to determine who the top three finalists are in 2018 may be even tighter than the final vote this year.
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The Watch List is a long one in the fall. It’s then narrowed down to 25 in November to be voted on. While many deserve to be on this list and there’s obviously a full season to be played, we’re going to take a stab at the top five early favorites to win the 2018 Buck Buchanan Award.
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Marlon Bridges, S — Jacksonville State
Bridges has been a star since he stepped foot on the field in 2016 as a redshirt freshman, earning all-American honors. He led the JSU defense with 87 tackles and added another 81 in 2017.
Bridges was one of three sophomores on the list of 25 finalists for the national defensive player of the year award. His teammate, Jackson, won the Buck Buchanan Award on a stacked Gamecocks defense.
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Josh Buss, LB — Montana
Buss was named one of 25 finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award in November last season after another standout season for the Grizzlies. He’s been a leader on the Montana defense since his sophomore year in 2016 when he had 86 total tackles and 22 tackles for loss.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder seems to be everywhere on defense. His career totals include 198 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and two interceptions.
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Greg Menard, DE — North Dakota State
Just days after being named on the 2017 Buck Buchanan Award Watch List, Menard tore his ACL in fall camp. Luckily, the senior never redshirted and can return for a fifth year. He was expected to be one of the top defensive ends in the FCS after 22 sacks and 30 tackles for loss as a sophomore and junior.
At 6-foot-2, Menard’s quickness and explosiveness made him a nuisance for tackles. He’ll have more than a year to get his knee back to full health.
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Jimmy Moreland, CB — James Madison
It’ll be tough to find a better cornerback in the FCS than Moreland in 2018. The one player who might be closest is on the opposite side of the JMU defense, Rashad Robinson. Moreland finished second in the FCS in 2017 with eight interceptions, just behind teammate Jordan Brown’s nine.
Moreland has the ability to play on an island and take away an entire half of the field. In his career, he has 48 passes defended and 13 interceptions, three of which he's returned for touchdowns.
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Christian Rozeboom, LB — South Dakota State
One of the other sophomores to be a finalist in 2017 was Rozeboom, the physical middle linebacker who’s been at the top of his position group since his freshman season. He finished as runner-up in 2016 for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the subdivision after totaling 132 tackles.
Rozeboom was looked at to be a leader in just his second year of starting this season. He came up big again, finishing third in the FCS with 128 total tackles.
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NEXT: JSU, SDSU Lead FCS Teams in 2018 Combine Invites
