MISSOULA — Montana State defensive lineman Paul Brott and Montana linebacker Peyton Wing were named to the 30-player preseason watch list for the 2025 Buck Buchanan Award, Stats Perform announced Wednesday.
The Buck Buchanan Award is presented annually to the national defensive player of the year in the Football Championship Subdivision. Central Arkansas' David Walker won the award last season.
Brott is a rising senior from Billings West High School who will wear the Bobcats' legacy No. 41 jersey this season. He totaled 49 tackles last year, including six for loss, and was voted a second-team All-Big Sky Conference selection as Montana State had the No. 1 defense in the league. Brott was named to the preseason all-conference list.
Wing was also a preseason all-conference choice for the Grizzlies. A transfer from Portland State, Wing recorded 93 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss in 2024 for the Vikings. His 8.5 average tackles per game was the fourth-most in the league.
UC Davis defensive back Rex Connors, the Big Sky's preseason defensive player of the year, was also named to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list.
The last Buck Buchanan Award winner from the Big Sky was Montana linebacker Dante Olson, who was honored in 2019. Former Grizzlies Tyrone Holmes (2015) and Kroy Biermann (2007) also won the award.
Montana State defensive ends Caleb Schreibeis and Brad Daly were honored in consecutive seasons in 2012 and 2013.
Following is the list of the 30 names on the preseason watch list for 2025:
Defensive linemen
Jake Anderson, Illinois State, R-Jr., 6-5, 290
Toby Anene, North Dakota State, Jr., 6-4, 260
Paul Brott, Montana State, Sr., 6-3, 290
Lando Brown, Southern Utah, R-Sr., 5-11, 215
Kobe Clayborne, South Dakota State, Sr., 6-0, 275
Jack Dunkley, Duquesne, Jr., 6-4, 250
Ckelby Givens, Southern, Sr., 6-2, 230
Rasheed Lovelace, Nicholls, R-Jr., 6-3, 310
Matt Spatny, Lehigh, Sr., 6-2, 245
Andrew Zock, Mercer, So., 6-2, 250
Linebackers
Sean Allison, Drake, Sr., 6-1, 230
James Conway, Fordham, Grad, 6-2, 235
Shane Hartzell, Villanova, Sr., 6-0, 230
Erick Hunter, Morgan State, Sr., 6-4, 210
Logan Kopp, North Dakota State, R-Sr., 6-1, 221
Tye Niekamp, Illinois State, Jr., 6-3, 240
A.J. Pena, Rhode Island, Sr., 6-2, 243
Will Shaffer, Abilene Christian, Grad, 6-0, 224
Declan Williams, UIW, Sr., 6-2, 245
Peyton Wing, Montana, Jr., 6-0, 230
Defensive Backs
Ty Bartrum, Harvard, Sr., 6-1, 195
Rex Connors, UC Davis, Sr., 6-1, 210
C.J. Coombes, Wofford, So., 6-0, 208
Tim Coutras, Tennessee Tech, Grad, 6-0, 198
Jalen Jones, William & Mary, Sr., 6-0, 190
Abu Kamara, Yale, Jr., 6-1, 208
JaMichael McGoy Jr., UT Martin, R-Sr., 5-10, 170
Tyler Morton, UIW, R-Sr., 5-10, 170
Nahil Perkins, Samford, Grad, 6-0, 178
Malcolm Reed, North Carolina Central, Sr., 6-3, 180
