Walker named a Buchanan Award finalist

07 Dec 2022 Walker named a Buchanan Award finalist

Posted at 4:59 PMh in Sports by 501 LIFE

CONWAY — University of Central Arkansas defensive end David Walker has been invited to the FCS National Awards banquet in January as one of the three finalists for the 2022 Buck Buchanan Award.

Walker, a sophomore from Stuttgart, Ark., joins William and Mary linebacker John Pius and Illinois State linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh as the final three of the 30 original finalists. The award recognizes the national defensive player of the year at the NCAA Division I FCS level.

“I am very excited for David. He has worked extremely hard and is so deserving of this honor,” said UCA head coach Nathan Brown. “He would be the first to tell you he couldn’t have done this without great teammates and coaches working with him every day.

“This is not only great for David but also for our program. We currently have, and also have had in the past, a lot of great players that have represented this program to the best of their abilities. David is an in-state player, and there are great prospects like him all over the state of Arkansas. I look forward to having him for a couple more years along with a great core of players coming back to try and repeat as ASUN champions.”

Walker, a transfer from Southern Arkansas, led the ASUN and all of FCS in tackles for loss (22, minus 107 yards) and was first in the ASUN and second in FCS in sacks (12, minus 83 yards) during the regular season. Walker finished his first season at UCA with 66 total tackles, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. He also tied the school record for sacks in a game with 3.5 against Stephen F. Austin.

Following the regular season, a 54-member panel voted on the 28th annual award – named for legendary defensive lineman Junious “Buck” Buchanan, who starred at Grambling State as part of his Hall of Fame career. The announcement of the recipient will be made at the FCS National Awards banquet on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas, in conjunction with the FCS National Championship Game.

2022 Buck Buchanan Award Voting Results

Following is a breakdown of the voting results. A first-place vote was worth five points, a second-place vote four points, a third-place vote three points, a fourth-place vote two points and a fifth-place vote one point. The final number is the combined point total.

1. TBA, Jan. 7

2. TBA, Jan. 7

3. TBA, Jan. 7

4. Marcus Hillman, DB, Elon: 1-5-7-5-3-59

5. Marte Mapu, DB, Sacramento State: 4-2-4-1-1-43

6. Ty French, DL, Gardner-Webb: 1-1-4-2-8-33

7. Joe Andreessen, LB, Bryant: 0-2-3-5-3-30

8.(tie) Aubrey Miller Jr., LB, Jackson State: 2-2-2-1-1-27

8.(tie) Caleb Sanders, DL, South Dakota State: 2-1-2-2-3-27

8. (tie) Jay Person, DL, Chattanooga: 1-3-1-3-1-27

11. Johnny Buchanan, LB, Delaware: 0-1-4-3-2-24

12. Alijah Huzzie, DB, ETSU: 0-1-3-1-5-20