The 2024 Missouri Valley Football Defensive Player of the Year -- Mi'Quise Grace of South Dakota -- led all MVFC vote-getters by finishing fourth in the final balloting for the 2024 Buck Buchanan Award.  The Buck Buchanan Award is named for legendary defensive lineman Junious “Buck” Buchanan, who starred at Grambling State as part of his Hall of Fame career. Past recipients include Dexter Coakley, Rashean Mathis, Jared Allen and Arthur Moats.

Four in the MVFC were among the finalists.

#90 DL Mi’Quise Grace / USD / 6-4 / 255 / R-So. / Cincinatti, Ohio / Princeton HS
First-year starter on the Coyote D-line … league leader in both tackles for loss (17.0) and sacks (9.5), despite playing one less game than most of MVFC teams … had a career-best 4.0 TFLs and 2.5 sacks vs Indiana State (Nov. 9) … notched a pair of 2+ sack games and had at least one in six games this season … had 1.5+ TFLs in seven games, plus recording 11.5 in the final give games … one-time Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 11).

#53 DT Eli Mostaert, North Dakota State, 6-3, 289, Sr., Lakeville, Minn. (Lakeville North HS)
Ranked third in MVFC play with 5.0 sacks and second with 8.5 TFLs...Started all 12 games...NDSU’s second-leading tackler...Had 44 total tackles with 9.5 tackles for loss...MVFC Defensive Player of the Week after making three tackles with two sacks in a win at Illinois State...Career-high six tackles twice in back-to-back wins over Southern Illinois and South Dakota State...2023 All-MVFC second team.

#9 LB Caleb Francl, South Dakota State, 6-1, 195, Sr., Grand Island, Neb./Grand Island H.S.
Ranks second on the team with 64 total tackles … also has contributed 7.0 tackles for loss, 4 pass breakups and a sack … has tallied seven or more tackles in a game six times this season, including eight-tackle performances at Oklahoma State and North Dakota State … recorded two tackles for loss and a pair of pass breakups in regular season finale at Missouri State … squad is surrendering only 12.4 points and 90.5 rushing yards per game

#35 LB Ben Bogle, Southern Illinois, 6-2, 225, So., Ponte Vedra, Fla. / Nease HS
Finished 2nd in the MVFC in TFL (16.5/1.4 per game) and 6th in sacks (5.5/0.46 per game)  … Ranked 8th in the MVFC in tackles (87/7.3 per game) … Was the National Player of the Week at Austin Peay with 3.5 sacks and school-record 6.5 TFL … Added 2 interceptions on the season … Played in all 12 games and made 10 starts.



2024 Buck Buchanan Award Voting
 
Following is a breakdown of the voting results (top three to be announced on Jan. 4). A first-place vote was worth five points, a second-place vote four points, a third-place vote three points, a fourth-place vote two points and a fifth-place vote one point. The final number is the combined point total.
 
Jeremiah Grant, DE, Richmond: Jan. 4, TBA
TJ Moore, CB, Mercer: Jan. 4, TBA
David Walker, DE, Central Arkansas: Jan. 4, TBA
 
4. Mi’Quise Grace, DL, South Dakota: 7-5-4-1-2-71
5. Josiah Silver, DE, New Hampshire: 2-2-7-3-4-49
T6. Ckelby Givens, DE, Southern: 1-7-0-1-8-43
T6. Bryce Norman, LB, Southeast Missouri: 2-3-2-7-1-43
8. Blake Gotcher, LB, Northwestern State: 4-2-2-1-2-38
9. Brody Grebe, DE, Montana State: 4-2-2-1-1-37
10. Elijah Williams, DE, Morgan State: 1-4-3-0-1-31
11. Brandon Tucker, LB, East Texas A&M: 1-0-3-5-2-26
12. Kenny Gallop Jr., S, Howard: 2-1-0-2-1-19
13. A.J. Pena, LB, Rhode Island: 0-0-3-3-3-18
14. Eli Mostaert, DT, North Dakota State: 0-1-2-3-1-17
15. Gideon Lampron, LB, Dayton: 0-1-0-2-7-15
16. Keyshawn James-Newby, DE, Idaho: 0-1-1-2-0-11
T17. Eli Ennis, LB, McNeese: 0-0-2-1-2-10
T17. Caleb Francl, LB, South Dakota State: 0-1-1-1-1-10
T17. David Meyer, LB, UC Davis: 0-1-1-0-3-10
20. Ben Bogle, LB, Southern Illinois: 0-0-0-3-3-9
21. Noah Martin, LB, Samford: 0-0-0-3-2-8
T22. Andrew Jones, LB, Grambling State: 0-1-1-0-0-7
T22. Jalen Jones, CB, William & Mary: 0-0-1-1-2-7
T24. Brayden Manley, DE, Mercer: 0-0-0-1-3-5
T24. Saiku White, S, Lafayette: 0-0-1-0-2-5
T26. Abu Kamara, S, Yale: 0-0-0-2-0-4
T26. Finn Claypool, DE, Drake: 0-1-0-0-0-4
T28. Mason Chambers, S, UIW: 0-0-1-0-0-3
T28. Matt Jaworski, DE, Fordham: 0-0-1-0-0-3
T28. Hayden McDonald, CB, Columbia: 0-0-1-0-0-3
31. Jalen McClelland, CB, Tennessee State: 0-0-0-1-0-2
32. Kimal Clark, S, Central Connecticut State: 0-0-0-0-1-1
T33. Mike DeNucci, LB, Lehigh: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T33. Will Shaffer, LB, Abilene Christian: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T33. Jaylon Sharpe, LB, UT Martin: 0-0-0-0-0-0