Boothby named to preseason list for defensive honor

University of Northern Iowa senior defensive lineman Ben Boothby is one of 20 players on the Buck Buchanan Award watch list, an award that goes to the Football Championship Subdivision's top defensive player.

The Sports Network announced Monday that six finalists from last season were on the preseason list.

Boothby, a former Clinton prep, was a first-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection last year, ranking 12th in the country with 9.5 sacks and tying a school record with four in the season opener against North Dakota State. He also led the MVFC with 16 tackles for loss.

Below is the news release from the UNI Sports Information Department:

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The race for the 2011 Buck Buchanan Award, sponsored by Fathead.com, kicked off Monday with The Sports Network's announcement that six returning finalists from last season are part of a stellar 20-player Watch List for the Football Championship Subdivision's top individual defensive honor. University of Northern Iowa senior defensive lineman Ben Boothby is among the 20 candidates on the Buchanan Watch List.

A native of Clinton, Iowa, Boothby was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference pick in 2010. He started all 12 games for the MVFC regular season champions. Boothby also earned second-team Academic All-America honors in 2010. He ranked No. 12 in the nation among FCS players with 9.5 sacks. He led the MVFC in sacks (9.5) and tackle-for-loss (16.0). He tied the school record for sacks in a game with four in the 2010 season-opening win over North Dakota State, which earned him MVFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

The Buchanan Award is in its 17th season and will be presented to the FCS' outstanding defensive player at the national awards banquet Thursday night, Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas.

This season's winner will join a list of Buchanan Award greats such as Dexter Coakley, Jared Allen, Rashean Mathis, Kroy Biermann and 2010 winner J.C. Sherritt of Eastern Washington.

Wofford defensive end Ameet Pall tied for second in the voting last season and returns to the Watch List as a senior. Also returning, presumably headed to banner seasons again, are New Hampshire junior linebacker Matt Evans, who was fourth; Massachusetts senior linebacker Tyler Holmes, who was fifth; San Diego senior defensive end Mario Kurn, who was sixth; Georgia Southern junior nose tackle Brent Russell, who was 12th; and Montana senior cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who was 19th.

The most-represented position is linebacker with six. In addition to Evans and Holmes, the others are seniors Kadarron Anderson of Furman and A.J. Storms of Idaho State, and juniors Keith Pough of Howard and Derek Rose of Northwestern State.

There are five defensive ends. Joining Pall and Kurn are seniors Brian McNally of New Hampshire and Zack Nash of Sacramento State, and junior Ben Obaseki of Indiana State.

Also from the defensive line are senior tackles Renard Williams of reigning FCS champion Eastern Washington and Boothby of UNI, who join Russell.

The Watch List has six senior defensive backs. Five are cornerbacks - Johnson, Jeremy Caldwell of Eastern Kentucky, Moses Ellis of Prairie View A&M, Asa Jackson of Cal Poly and Ryan Steed of Furman - and one is a strong safety, Matt Johnson of Eastern Washington.

Among the returning vote-getters, Pall finished eighth in the FCS after collecting 22.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. Evans was the only sophomore on last year's ballot, posting 156 tackles for the second-highest single- season total in New Hampshire history and finishing fifth in the FCS in tackles per game (12.0). Holmes had 110 tackles, including 12 for loss, and five interceptions for the Minutemen, who are playing their final season in the FCS this year.

Also, Kurn led the FCS with 17 sacks and had 27 tackles for loss. Russell helped Georgia Southern reach the FCS semifinals last season, while totaling 71 tackles, including 18.5 for loss and eight sacks, with five quarterback hurries. Johnson enters his senior season with 13 career interceptions, including four last year.

The Buchanan Award Watch List will undergo revision during the 2011 season. Ballots will be sent to a panel of about 200 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries after the regular season on Nov. 21.

The Sports Network also presents the Walter Payton, Jerry Rice and Eddie Robinson awards which are sponsored by Fathead.com. The Payton Award (FCS outstanding player) and Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year) are celebrating their 25th anniversaries, while the Rice Award (FCS freshman of the year) is in its inaugural season.