Lewis named to Buchanan Award Watch List

Montana senior linebacker Jace Lewis was named among the 35 best defenders in FCS football in the leadup to the 2021 season on Thursday, with Stats Perform announcing its preseason watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award.

Lewis, an All-American out of Townsend, Mont. and the Big Sky Conference's 2020 Preseason Player of the Year, was one of four linebackers and five overall players from the league to earn a place on the list.

His inclusion comes one day after Grizzly senior receiver Samuel Akem earned a place on the Walter Payton Award watch list, giving UM premiere offensive and defensive preseason accolades.

Lewis enters his senior season with 219 career tackles, placing him among UM's top-40 defenders of all time with a full season left to play. He's also top-30 among UM's leaders in tackles for loss, with 21 in his career following a breakout junior year.

In Montana's two-game spring season, he was second on the team with 10 stops and hauled in an interception against Portland State.

In the leadup to the 2020 season, Lewis earned all-conference and All-America honors from HERO Sports and Phil Steele Magazine, in addition to being the league's preseason defensive MVP. That came on the heels of a first-team All-Big Sky selection in 2019 when he was the No. 5 overall tackler in the conference with 131 total stops.

The two-year starter also recently announced he was selected to carry on the #37 legacy jersey tradition.

Montana has enjoyed a long history of Buchanan Award success since the turn of the millennium. Nine different players have been named a finalist for the award in 13 different seasons in the past 21 years, with three Grizzlies taking the title of "best defender in the FCS."

Dante Olson is the most recent winner of the award in a full FCS season in 2019. Defensive end Tyrone Holmes won the award in 2015, and Kroy Biermann was the first Grizzly to win in 2007. Both went on to play in the NFL.

Lewis joins Big Sky linebackers Troy Anderson of Montana State, La'akea Kaho'ohanohano-Davis of Southern Utah, and Tre Walker of Idaho on the Buchanan Award Watch list, as well as defensive back Anthony Adams of Portland State.

Southern University's Jordan Lewis was the recipient of the Buchanan Award after the shortened 2021 spring season. He ranked No. 1 in the FCS in sacks and tackles for loss as well as lost yardage in both statistics. Thirteen other spring finalists, including third-place finisher Stone Snyder of VMI, are also included on the preseason watch list.

More players can join the watch list during the regular season, and a national media panel will select the winner following it. Dexter Coakley won the inaugural Buchanan in 1995 and repeated a year later.

Stats Perform will present the Walter Payton Award (FCS offensive player of the year), Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman player of the year), Eddie Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year), and Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards this season.

Montana opens its 2021 season on Sept. 4 at the University of Washington in Seattle. A week later, the Griz return to Missoula to face Western Illinois on Sept. 11 for the home opener under the lights at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in a 6 p.m. kickoff.

Season ticket packages and single-game tickets to both home and away contests are on sale now at GrizTix.com.

2021 Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award Watch List

Defensive Linemen
Jared Brinkman, Northern Iowa (2020-21 finalist)
Isaiah Chambers, McNeese (2020-21 finalist)
DJ Coleman, Jacksonville State
Mike Greene, James Madison (2020-21 finalist)
Malik Hamm, Lafayette
Jahari Kay, Sam Houston (2020-21 finalist)
Jordan Lewis, Southern (2020-21 recipient)
Shaundre Mims, Charleston Southern
Kobie Turner, Richmond

Linebackers
Troy Andersen, Montana State
Logan Backhaus, South Dakota State
Ryan Greenhagen, Fordham (2020-21 finalist)
Willie Eubanks III, The Citadel (2019 finalist)
Tre Jones, Central Connecticut State
James Kaczor, North Dakota State
La'akea Kaho'ohanohano-Davis, Southern Utah (2020-21 finalist)
Titus Leo, Wagner (2020-21 finalist)
Jace Lewis, Montana
Forrest Rhyne, Villanova
Stone Snyder, VMI (2020-21 finalist)
Jeremiah Tyler, Princeton
Tre Walker, Idaho (2020-21 finalist)
Tristan Wheeler, Richmond (2020-21 finalist)

Defensive Backs
Anthony Adams, Portland State (2019 finalist)
Markquese Bell, Florida A&M
Qua Brown, Southern Illinois
Anthony Budd, Monmouth
Decobie Durant, South Carolina State
Brandon Easterling, Dayton (2019 finalist)
Chris Edmonds, Samford (2020-21 finalist)
Marcis Floyd, Murray State
Nicario Harper, Jacksonville State (2020-21 finalist)
Kordell Jackson, Austin Peay (2019 and 2020-21 finalist)
Ferlando Jordan, Southeastern Louisiana
Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston

University of Montana Athletics

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Samuel Akem

Jace Lewis

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