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Football MSU Athletics Communications

Erick Hunter Named Finalist for 2025 Buck Buchanan Award

BALTIMORE, Md. (Nov. 25, 2025) -- Morgan State linebacker Erick Hunter has been named one of 30 finalists for the 2025 Buck Buchanan Award, as announced Tuesday by Stats Perform. The prestigious honor is presented annually to the national defensive player of the year in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Hunter is one of only two players from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) to earn a spot on the finalist list, joining South Carolina State defensive back Jarod Washington.

Hunter, who entered the year as the MEAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, delivered a standout campaign. The redshirt senior led the conference with 102 tackles (53 solo) and added 14 tackles for loss and four sacks while starting all 12 games. He also recorded five quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles, an interception, and produced one of the season's highlight moments with a 90-yard blocked-kick return for a touchdown against Norfolk State.

Hunter posted four double-digit tackle performances, including a season-high 12 stops in the Nov. 15 matchup at Norfolk State.

In his final game in the Blue and Orange last Saturday, Hunter delivered another standout performance. He recorded 11 tackles, added a sack, and forced a fumble against North Carolina Central. With those stops, Hunter moved past Albert Gamble (292; 2000–03) into second place on Morgan State's all-time career tackles list with 298, further solidifying his place in the program's storied history.

The award, now in its 31st season, is named in honor of legendary defensive lineman Junious "Buck" Buchanan, who starred at Grambling State and went on to a Hall of Fame professional career. Past Buchanan Award recipients include standouts such as Dexter Coakley, Rashean Mathis, and Jared Allen. Central Arkansas' David Walker captured last season's honor.

All 13 FCS conferences are represented by a finalist. The winner, to be selected by a national voting panel, will be announced at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Show on Jan. 3 in Nashville, Tennessee.

For the complete Stats Perform FCS Buck Buchanan Award 2025 Watch List, click here.


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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 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

Erick Hunter

#40 Erick Hunter

LB
6' 4"
Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

Erick Hunter

#40 Erick Hunter

6' 4"
Redshirt Senior
LB