Northwestern State Linebacker Derek Rose on Watch List for Buck Buchanan Award
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Northwestern State junior linebacker Derek Rose is part of a stellar 20-player watch list for the 2011 Buck Buchanan Award sponsored by Fathead.com and released by The Sports Network on Monday.
The Buchanan Award is in its 17th season and will be presented to the Football Championship Subdivision's outstanding defensive player at the national awards banquet Jan. 5, 2012, in Frisco, Texas.
This season's winner will join a list of Buchanan Award greats such as Dexter Coakley, Jared Allen, Rashean Mathis, Kroy Biermann and 2010 winner J.C. Sherritt of Eastern Washington.
Rose is one of six linebackers to be named to the initial watch list and is the only player from the Southland Conference to join the group.
The New Orleans, La., native earned first team All-Southland Conference and All-Louisiana honors his sophomore season, as well as second team Sports Network All-America honors after he led the league with 138 tackles - the most at Northwestern since 1991 when senior All-America LB and Walter Payton Trophy runner-up Andre Carron set the single-season record with 176.
He became the first Demon sophomore since 2000 (Terrence McGee, return specialist) to earn All-America honors, and was voted by his teammates as the 2010 Defensive Most Valuable Player.
Six returning finalists from last year's award join Rose on the watch list including Wofford senior defensive end Ameet Pall who finished tied for second in the voting last season; New Hampshire junior linebacker Matt Evans, who was fourth; Massachusetts senior linebacker Tyler Holmes, who was fifth; San Diego senior defensive end Mario Kurn, who was sixth; Georgia Southern junior nose tackle Brent Russell, who was 12th; and Montana senior cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who was 19th.
The most-represented position is linebacker with six. In addition to Rose, Evans and Holmes, the others are seniors Kadarron Anderson of Furman and A.J. Storms of Idaho State, and juniors Keith Pough of Howard and Derek Rose of Northwestern State.
There are five defensive ends. Joining Pall and Kurn are seniors Brian McNally of New Hampshire and Zack Nash of Sacramento State, and junior Ben Obaseki of Indiana State. Also from the defensive line are senior tackles Renard Williams of reigning FCS champion Eastern Washington and Ben Boothby of Northern Iowa, who join Russell.
The Watch List has six senior defensive backs. Five are cornerbacks - Johnson, Jeremy Caldwell of Eastern Kentucky, Moses Ellis of Prairie View A&M, Asa Jackson of Cal Poly and Ryan Steed of Furman - and one is a strong safety, Matt Johnson of Eastern Washington.
The Buchanan Award Watch List will undergo revision during the 2011 season. Ballots will be sent to a panel of about 200 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries after the regular season on Nov. 21.
The Sports Network also presents the Walter Payton, Jerry Rice and Eddie Robinson awards which are sponsored by Fathead.com. The Payton Award (FCS outstanding player) and Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year) are celebrating their 25th anniversaries, while the Rice Award (FCS freshman of the year) is in its inaugural season.