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Lawrence Johnson

Football MSU Athletic Communications

Kennedy Named Finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award

Football MSU Athletic Communications

Kennedy Named Finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award

BALTIMORE, Md. (Nov. 26, 2019) – Morgan State redshirt senior linebacker has been named a finalist for the 2019 Buck Buchanan Award. A mid-season addition to the Watch List, Kennedy is one of 26 finalists announced by STATS. The award will have a winner on Friday, Jan. 10, on the eve of the FCS national championship game in Frisco, Texas.

A part of the 2019 STATS FCS legacy awards, the Buchanan Award, presented to the national defensive player of the year in college football's Division I subdivision, has sent past winners such as Dexter Coakley, Rashean Mathis, Jared Allen, Arthur Moats and Kyle Emanuel on to NFL careers.

A national panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will select the winners. Voting is based on the regular season.

Kennedy, a native of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., finished the 2019 season third in the MEAC in tackles with 105, averaging 8.8 per game, and he leads the conference with 16.0 tackles for loss -- 4.5 of which are sacks. He also added two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the year.  
 
Kennedy was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Defensive Player of the Week after leading the Bears with a career-high 15 tackles in a 31-20 loss at Bethune-Cookman on Oct. 5.  He posted four of the Bears' seven tackles for loss on the day and finished with a sack and an interception.  The four tackles for loss were also a single game career mark.

His 51.0 career TFLs are the most in Morgan State school history, just ahead of Jarrell Guyton (49.5; 2005-08). He has 19.0 career sacks, which is fourth-place all-time at MSU behind Christopher Robinson (28.5; 2011-14), Willie Thompson (26.0; 1994-97) and Justin "JR" Lawrence (24.0; 2006-08).  
 
Kennedy, who was named to the 2019 All-MEAC First Team, finished his collegiate career with 262 total tackles, which ranks fourth-place all-time behind Elvis Franks (348; 1975-79), Albert Gamble (292; 2000-03) and Cody Acker (272; 2011-14).

Kennedy is the first Bear to be up for the Buchanan Award.  

The award will be voted on by a national panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries. Voting is based on the regular season. A group of three finalist will be named from that balloting. The Buchanan Award, as well as the Walter Payton Award (Offense), Jerry Rice Award (Top Freshman), Eddie Robinson Award (Coach and the STATS FCS Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be celebrated at the STATS FCS Awards Banquet and Presentation, scheduled for Jan. 10 in Frisco, Texas.

BUCK BUCHANAN AWARD
FCS Defensive Player of the Year - 26 Finalists
Rico Kennedy, LB, Morgan State
Anthony Adams, S, Portland State
Bryson Armstrong, LB, Kennesaw State
Ron'Dell Carter, DE, James Madison
Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois
John Daka, DE, James Madison
Brandon Easterling, S, Dayton
Willie Eubanks Jr., LB, The Citadel
Cam Gill, LB, Wagner
Zach Hall, LB, Southeast Missouri
Kordell Jackson, DB, Austin Peay
Sully Laiche, DL, Nicholls
Da'Jon Lee, LB, Saint Francis
Greg Liggs Jr., CB, Elon
Eli Mencer, DE, UAlbany
Solomon Muhammad, LB, Alcorn State
Dante Olson, LB, Montana
Aaron Patrick, DL, Eastern Kentucky
Christian Rozeboom, LB, South Dakota State
Artevius Smith, DB, ETSU
Elerson Smith, DL, Northern Iowa
Bryce Sterk, LB, Montana State
Isiah Swann, DB, Dartmouth
Derrek Tuszka, DL, North Dakota State
Nick Wheeler, DL, Colgate
Keith Woetzel, LB, Lehigh
 
ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu. 

 
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Players Mentioned

Rico Kennedy

#28 Rico Kennedy

LB
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

Rico Kennedy

#28 Rico Kennedy

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
LB