Montana senior Josh Buss was the lone FCS player nominated Monday to the preseason watch list of the 34th annual Butkus Award, which honors the nation’s best linebackers.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Buss, from Boise, Idaho, was a 2017 finalist for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented to the national defensive player of the year. Last week, Buss was named the Big Sky Conference’s preseason defensive player of the year.
He has 198 tackles, 36 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in his career. However, he is coming back from offseason surgery and later an injury suffered during weight training.
There are professional, collegiate and high school versions of the Butkus Award, with the 51 college candidates coming from 41 schools. They must excel on the field and in service to the community.