Mercer's Andrew Zock Wins Buck Buchanan Award

NASHVILLE, TN ­– Mercer’s Andrew Zock won the Buck Buchanan Award Saturday night at the FCS National Awards reception at historic Woolworth Theatre, capping a spectacular sophomore season with the top defensive honor in the FCS.

Zock (Citra, FL / Hawthorne HS) is the first Mercer player to win the award and first SoCon honoree since Dexter Coakley (App State) won in 1995 and 1996 – the first two seasons the Buchanan was awarded.

Furman’s Joshua Stoneking and Fordham’s James Conway were the other two finalists this year. Zock received 15 first-place votes and 133 total points, edging Stoneking for the top honor. Stoneking finished with 10 first-place votes and 119 total points.

Zock finished the season with 46 total tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss (minus-109 yards), 11.5 sacks (minus-83 yards), four pass break ups, and a SoCon-best 23 quarterback hurries. He added two forced fumbles and recovered another.

He registered at least one sack in eight different games, with two each in wins over ETSU, VMI, and Samford.

The 2025 season wasn’t an outlier, with Zock finishing fourth in last season’s Jerry Rice Award voting for the top freshman in the FCS. He finished the 2024 campaign with 38 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks.

Zock is the 15^th defensive end to win the Buchanan Award, including each of the last six seasons. The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder joined teammate Braden Atkinson in Nashville Saturday evening, with Atkinson taking home the 2025 Jerry Rice Award.

A complete run down of the 2025 Buck Buchanan Award voting is available here .