SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference placed four student-athletes on the 2012 Buck Buchanan Award Watch List. The preseason list, announced Thursday (July 19), consists of 20 student-athletes, with the Buchanan Award being presented to nation's top NCAA Division I FCS defensive player.
Appalachian State senior Jeremy Kimbrough and Demetrius McCray were named to the initial list, along with Chattanooga's Wes Dothard and Georgia Southern's Brent Russell.
Kimbrough is returning for his third season as Appalachian State's starting middle linebacker in 2012. The 5-11, 240-pounder led Appalachian and ranked fifth in the Southern Conference a year ago with 105 tackles and received a slew of all-America honors, including second-team recognition from The Sports Network. He also finished eighth in the SoCon with 12 tackles for loss and tied for 11th with four sacks, making him one of only two players to finish among the league's top 11 in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks in 2011.
A defensive back, McCray led the SoCon and tied for eighth nationally with five interceptions in his first season as a full-time starter in 2011, en route to fourth-team all-America accolades from Phil Steele Publications. The 6-0, 185-pounder also tied for 12th nationally with 14 passes defended as a junior and ranked fifth on the Mountaineers with 48 tackles from his right cornerback position.
Dothard, a junior linebacker for UTC, is coming off an outstanding sophomore season that included 98 tackles, five forced fumbles and two defensive scores. He was a First Team All-Southern Conference pick and was the league's Player of the Month in September. Dothard (6-1, 235) was a First Team All-American in 2011 and was named a preseason All-American by the Sports Network earlier this month.
Entering his season year, Russell was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2011 as a junior and was named a preseason All-American for 2012. The senior defensive lineman has been named first team all-conference each of the last two seasons. Last year Russell posted a team-best 16.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks for the Eagles. The senior defensive tackle also finished fourth on the team with 67 tackles, two pass breakups and a blocked kick.
Appalachian State linebacker Dexter Coakley won the first two Buchanan Awards in 1995 and '96 and remains the only two-time winner of the award.
The Buchanan Award Watch List can undergo revisions during the 2012 season. Ballots will be sent to a panel of about 175 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries following the regular season on Nov. 19. The top three vote-getters will be invited to The Sports Network FCS Awards Presentation.
The Sports Network also presents the Walter Payton, Jerry Rice and Eddie Robinson awards. The Payton Award honors the FCS player of the year, the Rice Award goes to the FCS freshman of the year and the Robinson Award honors the FCS coach of the year.