BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Two Patriot League football student-athletes were selected to the 2025 Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List when it was announced by Stats Perform. The Buck Buchanan Award is presented annually to the national defensive player of the year at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Fordham graduate student James Conway, the Patriot League’s career tackles leader, and Lehigh senior defensive lineman Matt Spatny, the League’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, are among the 30 FCS student-athletes selected to the preseason watch list. Spatny and Conway, both First Team All-Patriot League selections in 2024, were named to the League’s preseason team last week.
The 30-player watch list includes student-athletes from the 13 FCS conferences and includes seven past finalists. This season’s Walter Payton Award recipient will be announced at the Stats Perform National Awards Presentation on Jan. 3, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.
STATS PERFORM RELEASE
Fordham’s James Conway Named to the Buchanan Award Watch List
Courtesy of Fordham Athletics Communications
Fordham graduate student linebacker James Conway was named to the 2025 Buck Buchanan Award Watch List. The award, in its 31st season, is named for legendary defensive lineman Junious "Buck" Buchanan, who starred at Grambling State as part of his Hall of Fame career. It is the third preseason honor for Conway, who was named a preseason First Team Stats Perform All-American last week as well as preseason All-Patriot League.
Conway started four games as a senior, earning First Team All-Patriot League status. He became the Patriot League career tackles leader (436), finishing last season with 49 tackles.
FORDHAM RELEASE
Lehigh’s Spatny Named to Preseason Watch List for Buck Buchanan Award
Courtesy of Lehigh Athletics Communications
Lehigh senior defensive lineman Matt Spatny has been named to the Preseason Watch List for the Buck Buchanan Award, Stats Perform announced. The Buck Buchanan Award is presented annually to the top defensive player in FCS football, with the Watch List highlighting 30 of the top defensive players in the FCS.
For Spatny, the recognition is the latest in a summer that has also included First Team Preseason All-America honors from Stats Perform, Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year laurels and a spot on the Preseason All-Patriot League team.
Last year, Spatny was an honorable mention Associated Press All-American and First Team All-Patriot League selection. Spatny made 36 tackles and finished with a Patriot League-leading 11.5 sacks, ranking among the FCS leaders in both sacks and sacks per game in 2024.
LEHIGH RELEASE
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The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.