Two Illinois State University football players, Tye Niekamp and Jake Anderson, have been named to the Stats Perform 30-player preseason watch list for the 2025 Buck Buchanan Award. This award is given each year to the top defensive player in Division I FCS college football.
The Buck Buchanan Award, now in its 31st year, honors Junious “Buck” Buchanan, a Hall of Fame defensive lineman from Grambling State. Previous winners include Dexter Coakley, Rashean Mathis, Jared Allen, and last year’s recipient David Walker from Central Arkansas. Illinois State has a history with this award; linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh won it in 2022 and several other Redbirds have been finalists.
Niekamp enters his junior season as a 2025 First-Team preseason All-America selection by Stats Perform. He previously earned FCS All-America honors from multiple organizations in 2024 after a strong sophomore season. Niekamp led both the Redbirds and tied for first in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) with 112 tackles (50 solo), led the league with four interceptions, ranked sixth in tackles-for-loss with 11.0, and added three sacks.
Anderson was selected as a third-team preseason All-American by Stats Perform for 2025 following his breakout performance last season. He was named to the All-MVFC Second Team on the defensive line after recording 59 tackles (21 solo), three sacks, six-and-a-half tackles for loss, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble during the previous season.
Both Niekamp and Anderson are among five MVFC players included on this year’s Buchanan watch list. The list features representatives from all 13 FCS conferences and includes seven past finalists. Additional players may be added before a national media panel selects finalists at the end of the regular season. The winner will be announced at the Stats Perform National Awards Banquet on January 3, 2026, in Nashville.
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