Football | 08.02.2018

VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota all-American defensive end Darin Greenfield is one of 25 players named to the preseason watch list for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award announced Thursday. The Buck Buchanan Award is given annually to the top defensive player in the FCS as voted on by a panel of more than 150 sports information directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries.
 
First awarded in 1995, the Buchanan Award has sent past winners such as Dexter Coakley, Rashean Mathis, Jared Allen, Arthur Moats and Kyle Emanuel on to the NFL. Jacksonville State defensive end Darius Jackson edged out Western Illinois linebacker Brett Taylor by one vote to be the 2017 recipient.
 
Greenfield is one of five players from the Missouri Valley Football Conference named to the list. Others are North Dakota State safety Robbie Grimsley, North Dakota State defensive end Greg Menard, South Dakota State linebacker Christian Rozeboom and Western Illinois defensive lineman Khalen Saunders.
 
The announcement comes as Greenfield has been named to two preseason all-America teams and to the first team of the preseason all-MVFC defense team. Greenfield was named an all-American by four publications last season after leading the Valley and ranking fifth nationally with 19.5 tackles-for-loss, sixth most in the nation. He ranked second in the Valley and 18^th nationally with 9.0 sacks, also sixth most in program history. Greenfield was the Coyotes' fifth-leading tackler with 59 stops.
 
The watch list will have updates during the season. The three top vote getters at the end of the year will be invited to the national awards banquet typically held on the eve of the FCS national championship game in Frisco, Texas.