Missouri State senior Antoine Wilkinson (Sr., LB, Magnolia, Miss.) has been added to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List, The Sports Network announced Monday. The Buchanan Award is in its 16th year and is presented annually to the top defensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision ranks.
The 20-player list will be pared down again on Oct. 25 before voting begins on Nov. 22. The award will be presented at the national awards banquet on Thursday, Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas, the night before the Division I national championship game.
Wilkinson was the 2009 Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Year and earned First-Team All-MVFC honors after registering a team-high 113 tackles, five for loss, and breaking up eight passes in his first season with the Bears. This season, he has notched 25 tackles in the first four games with five for loss, three sacks and a pair of pass break-ups.
The Sports Network also presents the Walter Payton and Eddie Robinson awards which are sponsored by Fathead. The Payton Award honors the FCS player of the year and the Robinson Award honors the FCS coach of the year. Those two awards, like the Buchanan, will be presented at the national awards banquet.
