Josh Buss

Class:
Redshirt Freshman
Height:
6-2
Weight:
203
Position:
LB
Hometown:
Boise, Idaho
High School:
Mountain View HS

HONORS CANDIDATE

2018: Named to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list ... STATS FCS preseason first team All-American ... Only FCS player named to the Butkus Award preseason watch list ... Preseason Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year ... College Sports Madness Preseason first-team All-American ... Phil Steele preseason first-team All-American ... FreeAgentFootball.com Preseason First-team All-American ... Montana’s leading returning tackler from 2018 with a career total of 198 tackles, 36 tackles-for-loss and 12 sacks … Returning from injury, Buss saw limited reps in the first game of the 2018 season vs. UNI (9/1) but still managed to impress recording four tackles and a forced fumble ... Seeing limited reps in the previous week vs. UNI (9/1), Buss impressed, putting up 1.5 sacks, 2.5 TFL’s, one QB hit, and one fumble recovery against Drake (9/8) ... Buss continues to show why he is one of the top defensive threats in FCS football as he casually recorded 11 total tackles (season-high) and 3 sacks (season-high) against Sacramento State (9/22) in Montana’s Big Sky Conference opener ... Continuing to prove why he has the reputation of being a game-changer, Buss recorded 8 tackles, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery that he returned 80 yards for his first career TD vs. Cal Poly (9/29) ... Buss had another impressive performance against Portland State (10/6) where he recorded 11 tackles and a forced fumble on the day ... Buss recorded 9 tackles and a TFL vs. North Dakota (10/13) ... Buss contributed to his team’s win at Southern Utah (11/3) with 4 tackles, half a TFL, and an interception ...Buss made his impact in a Grizzly road win over Idaho (11/10) with 6 total tackles, 2 QB hits and a sack that resulted in a loss of 10 yards ... Buss finished his career as a Grizzly with a 10 tackle performance in his final game against rival Montana State (11/17) ... He now ranks among Montana’s top-10 in career TFLs (41.5) and top-15 in career sacks (16.5) ... The two-time Defensive MVP was awarded the Pat Norwood Award, honoring the team's most inspirational player

2017: Buck Buchanan Award Finalist … 2 x Steve Carlson Defensive MVP … College Sports Madness third-team All-American … Phil Steele FCS third-team All-American … Second-team All-Big Sky Conference … Buss once again ranked among the top defensive performers in the Big Sky Conference, ranked No. 5 in tackles (94), No. 9 in Sacks (5.5), and No. 6 in TFLs (13.5) … He had a career-high 17 tackles against Eastern Washington on 9/23 … Posted a career second-best with 14 tackles against North Dakota on 10/14 … Posted his career-high 2 sacks twice in 2017, picking up a pair against Savannah State and at Weber State … Returned one of two interceptions on the year 21 yards against Savannah State … Montana’s second-leading tackler with 94 on the year … Had 4 TFLs on just 9 tackles at Weber State … Broke-up a pass in five different games … Started all 11 games for the Griz … Ranked in the top-100 nationally in three different categories (tackles, sacks, TFLs).

2016: Named 2016 Steve Carlson Defensive MVP … Named to the HERO SPORTS FCS Sophomore Defensive All-America First Team … Named 3rd Team All-Big Sky at OLB … Named the ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after posting a (then) career-high 10 total tackles, another career-high 4.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack against Sacramento State on 10/5/16 … Buss led the Big Sky with 20 tackles-for-loss for 96 yards... Those 20 TFLs ties him at No. 10 in all of FCS football, the only sophomore in the national top-10… Led Montana in tackling as a sophomore … Recorded 81 tackles, 43 of which were solo … Second on the team with 5.5 sacks … Led the team with seven QB hits … Forced a fumble against UNI on Sep. 10 … Recorded at least four tackles in all 11 games … Season-high 11 tackles and a sack in final game of the season against Montana State … Registered a QB hit in the first five games … Recorded a tackle for loss in nine of Montana’s 11 games.

2015: Saw action in 12 games for the Griz … Posted 18 tackles (seven solo) and a single tackle for loss, resulting in a loss of seven yards.

2014: Buss was a redshirt.

HIGH SCHOOL: He rushed for a 5A Southern Idaho Conference-best 1,986 yards and 22 touchdowns his senior year ... Senior team was 7-3 and reached the state quarterfinals ... Earned three letters in football, four in lacrosse, and one in wrestling ... All-Idaho "Player of the Year" as a senior ... First team all-state running back as a junior and senior ... Freshman and junior lacrosse teams won state titles, and he was tabbed an All-American in that sport as a junior and senior ... Team MVP and captain in football as a senior and junior; and outstanding wide receiver as a sophomore ... Career stats: 2,918 rushing yards for 32 touchdowns, and 88 catches for 1,289 yards and 13 TDs, breaking 11 school records ... Also earned a letter in wrestling ... Team captain in football for head coach Judd Benedick.

PERSONAL: Buss is a marketing major. His parents are Kristi McCurry and Joe Buss of Meridian, Idaho.