Wednesday, November 9, 2016
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

CHICAGO – Dayton linebacker Christopher Beaschler was one of seven additions to the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award Watch List, Wednesday. The award recognizes the FCS' Defensive Player of the Year.

Beaschler, of Ada, Ohio, helped lead Dayton to the 2015 PFL regular-season title and first-ever FCS playoff berth with a 112-tackle campaign. He has followed that in 2016 with 80 tackles (8.0 per game) with one regular-season game remaining. Beaschler's 376 career tackles are fourth-most among active FCS leaders and he also ranks among the FCS active career leaders in total tackles per game (11th, 8.74) and solo tackles (3rd, 200).

The fifth-year senior is as accomplished in the classroom as he is on the field. Earlier this month Beaschler was one of 12 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, the "Academic Heisman," which recognizes the top football scholar-athlete in the nation. He is a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and was named the PFL Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2015.

Joining Beaschler in November's additions to the Buchanan Award Watch List were: Alcorn State linebacker Darien Anderson; Richmond defensive ackles Winston Craig; Houston Baptist linebacker Garrett Dolan; Gardner-Webb linebacker Chad Geter; North Dakota safety Cole Reyes and Coastal Carolina linebacker Alex Scearce.

That group joins an extensive Watch List which includes Stetson safety Donald Payne. The Buck Buchanan Award Watch List also includes:

Defensive ends: Pat Afriyie of Colgate, Andrew Ankrah of James Madison, Keionta Davis of Chattanooga, Anthony Ellis of Charleston Southern, P.J. Hall of Sam Houston State, Darius Jackson of Jacksonville State, Javancy Jones of Jackson State, Caleb Kidder of Montana, Tanoh Kpassagnon of Villanova, Greg Menard of North Dakota State, Ebenezer Ogundeko of Tennessee State, Derek Rivers of Youngstown State and Karter Schult of Northern Iowa;

Linebackers: Kourtney Berry of Alabama State, Dylan Cole of Missouri State, Nick DeLuca of North Dakota State, Christian Kuntz of Duquesne; Darius Leonard of South Carolina State, Folarin Orimolade of Dartmouth and James Rentz of Sacred Heart;

Cornerbacks Casey DeAndrade of New Hampshire and Dee Delaney of The Citadel;

Safeties: Mike Basile of Monmouth, Lorenzo Jerome of Saint Francis, David Jones of Richmond and Donald Payne of Stetson.

A national panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will select the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award following the regular season. Also this season, STATS will present the Walter Payton Award (FCS offensive player of the year), the Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman player of the year), the Eddie Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year) and the Doris Robinson FCS Scholar-Athlete of the Year.