Moore Finishes Second In Buck Buchanan Award Voting
1/4/2025 10:40:00 PM | Football
FRISCO, Texas – Senior cornerback TJ Moore raked in a trio of first-place votes, 10 second-place votes and an octet of third-place votes in the final vote tally and finished second among the 35 finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award which honors the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football and is presented by FedEx Ground.
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Central Arkansas defensive end David Walker was crowned with the honor at the FCS Awards Banquet on Saturday evening in Frisco, Texas, after amassing 68 tackles (45 solo), 23 tackles for loss and 10-1/2 sacks in 12 games, while also setting career highs with four forced fumbles, eight quarterback hurries and six pass break-ups. Richmond defensive end Jeremiah Grant finished third in the final vote tally.
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Moore's runner-up finish marked the highest finish for a postseason national award by a Mercer student-athlete in the 51-season history of the program. Isaac Dowling finished fourth in the voting for the 2021 Jerry Rice Award which is presented to the national freshman of the year in Division I FCS college football.
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Moore started all 14 games for the Bears this season while logging 64 tackles (42 solo), seven interceptions and 13 pass break-ups. He also sported an assist on a tackle for loss early in the season against The Citadel, as well as a pair of quarterback hurries. Moore totaled five or more tackles seven times, including a season-best nine stops in Mercer's setback at perennial national powerhouse Alabama.
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The Riverdale product played in 58 games (58 starts) across his 5-season career (2020-24) in Macon and amassed 185 tackles (128 solo), including a pair of tackles for loss, 11 interceptions (2nd all-time) and 32 pass break-ups. Moore ranked second, nationally, with 20 passes defended this season, while also ranking second among FCS student-athletes (behind teammate Myles Redding) with seven interceptions.
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Moore will exit Macon with the program's single-game record for interceptions after picking off Princeton three times earlier this season at Five Star Stadium.
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Central Arkansas defensive end David Walker was crowned with the honor at the FCS Awards Banquet on Saturday evening in Frisco, Texas, after amassing 68 tackles (45 solo), 23 tackles for loss and 10-1/2 sacks in 12 games, while also setting career highs with four forced fumbles, eight quarterback hurries and six pass break-ups. Richmond defensive end Jeremiah Grant finished third in the final vote tally.
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Moore's runner-up finish marked the highest finish for a postseason national award by a Mercer student-athlete in the 51-season history of the program. Isaac Dowling finished fourth in the voting for the 2021 Jerry Rice Award which is presented to the national freshman of the year in Division I FCS college football.
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Moore started all 14 games for the Bears this season while logging 64 tackles (42 solo), seven interceptions and 13 pass break-ups. He also sported an assist on a tackle for loss early in the season against The Citadel, as well as a pair of quarterback hurries. Moore totaled five or more tackles seven times, including a season-best nine stops in Mercer's setback at perennial national powerhouse Alabama.
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The Riverdale product played in 58 games (58 starts) across his 5-season career (2020-24) in Macon and amassed 185 tackles (128 solo), including a pair of tackles for loss, 11 interceptions (2nd all-time) and 32 pass break-ups. Moore ranked second, nationally, with 20 passes defended this season, while also ranking second among FCS student-athletes (behind teammate Myles Redding) with seven interceptions.
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Moore will exit Macon with the program's single-game record for interceptions after picking off Princeton three times earlier this season at Five Star Stadium.
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