FRISCO, Texas – The postseason awards have rolled in for Illinois State senior linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh, but on Saturday night he received the biggest yet, as Vandenburgh's dominant senior season led to him receiving the 2022 Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in FCS football on Saturday night at the FCS National Awards banquet in Frisco, Texas.
Vandenburgh won the award by receiving 30 first-place votes and had no votes lower than third place for a total of 187. William & Mary redshirt sophomore outside linebacker John Pius finished second in the voting (113) and Central Arkansas sophomore defensive end David Walker third (90) after a 54-member panel selected the 28th annual award – named for legendary defensive lineman Junious "Buck" Buchanan, who starred at Grambling State as part of his Hall of Fame career.