Montana linebacker Patrick O’Connell was one of 11 total players and the only player from the Big Sky Conference added to the watch list for the 2021 Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award, the organization announced Wednesday.
O’Connell joins fellow Grizzly linebacker Jace Lewis on the watch list for the Buchanan Award, which is presented annually to the top defensive player in FCS football.
Lewis was placed on the list at the beginning of the season, while O’Connell is a mid-year addition thanks to a breakout junior campaign.
O’Connell, from Kalispell, currently leads the Big Sky and is tied for fourth in the FCS in total sacks with 10.5 on the season. He’s also third in the league in tackles for loss with 16.5 and top-10 for total tackles with 77.
After leading the team in sacks as a sophomore in 2019, the Glacier High School product is already climbing Montana’s record books for career sacks with 17 to his name, needing just three more this season to enter the top-10.
The mid-season additions to the Buchanan Award Watch List are:
Defensive Line
Brevin Allen, Campbell
Nate Lynn, William & Mary
Devonnsha Maxwell, Chattanooga
Clay Patterson, Yale
Vaughn Taylor Jr., Morehead State
Linebacker
Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross
Matthew Jackson, Eastern Kentucky
Isaiah Land, Florida A&M
Jalen Mackie, Dartmouth
Patrick O’Connell, Montana
Defensive Back
Darius Joiner, Western Illinois
The original watch list in the preseason included 35 players included 35 players. A 50-member, national media panel will select the winner following the regular season.
Also this season, Stats Perform will present the Walter Payton Award (FCS offensive player of the year), Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman player of the year), Eddie Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year) and Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
