DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis sophomore Rex Connors was named to the 2023 Stats Perform preseason watch list for the 2023 Buck Buchanan Award, presented by FedEx Ground and given annually to the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football.

Earlier this week Connors was named a Stats Perform Preseason All-American and garnered All-Big Sky Preseason honors at their annual media day.

The sophomore is coming off a breakout freshman campaign that earned him a finalist spot for the Jerry Rice Award. The Utah native earned two freshman All-American honors and first-team all-Big Sky honors after leading the league with five interceptions and 0.50 per contest.

The defensive back paced the team with 92 total tackles and ranked second in the conference with 9.2 tackles per game. He set a single-game program record from at least 2007 with 17 total tackles at No. 2 South Dakota State en route to being named the FedEx Ground FCS Freshman of the Week.

UC Davis will open the 2023 season on the road at Texas A&M – Commerce for a Thursday night matchup on Aug. 31.

More players can join the watch list during the regular season before a national media panel selects the winner from a group of finalists. First awarded in 1995, the Buchanan includes past recipients such as Dexter Coakley, Rashean Mathis, Jared Allen and Arthur Moats.

Also this season, the Walter Payton Award (FCS offensive player of the year), Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman player of the year), Eddie Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year) and FedEx Ground Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be presented at the national awards banquet on the eve of the FCS championship game in Frisco, Texas.

UC Davis will open the 2023 season on the road at Texas A&M – Commerce. The season-opener is slated for Thursday, Aug. 31, in Commerce, Texas. Football season tickets and mini-plans are now on sale. Click HERE or call the UC Davis Ticket Office at 530-752-2471 for more information.

All 15 FCS conferences, which combine to form 13 leagues, are represented on the watch list, including 13 past finalists.

The preseason watch list:

Defensive Linemen
Sundiata Anderson, Grambling State, Sr., 6-5, 240 (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
Finn Claypool, Drake, R-So., 6-1, 240 (Pioneer Football League)
Daylan Dotson, UT Martin, Jr., 6-3, 280 (Big South-OVC Football Association)
Ty French, Gardner-Webb, Sr., 6-3, 230 (Big South-OVC Football Association) - 2022 Finalist
Patrick Godbolt, South Carolina State, Sr., 6-3, 235 (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
Thor Griffith, Harvard, Sr., 6-2, 305 (Ivy League)
Nate Lynn, William & Mary, Sr., 6-3, 255 (CAA Football) - 2021 Finalist
Eli Mostaert, North Dakota State, Sr., 6-3, 286 (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
Eric O'Neill, LIU, So., 6-3, 240 (Northeast Conference)
Jay Person, Chattanooga, Sr., 6-3, 224 (Southern Conference) - 2022 Finalist
Josiah Silver, New Hampshire, Jr., 6-2, 243 (CAA Football)
Sebastian Valdez, Montana State, Jr., 6-3, 291 (Big Sky Conference)
David Walker, Central Arkansas, Jr., 6-3, 265 (United Athletic Conference) - 2022 Finalist
Syrus Webster, Utah Tech, Jr., 6-4, 255 (United Athletic Conference)

Linebackers
Colton Adams, Alabama State, R-Jr., 6-2, 230 (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
Armon Bailey, Sacramento State, Sr., 6-1, 228 (Big Sky Conference)
Adam Bock, South Dakota State, Sr., 6-1, 215 (Missouri Valley Football Conference) - 2021 Finalist
Rodney Dansby, Houston Christian, Jr., 6-0, 225 (Southland Conference) - 2022 Finalist
Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, Sr., 6-0, 237 (Patriot League) - 2021 Finalist
Isaac Dowling, Mercer, Jr., 5-10, 225 (Southern Conference)
David Hoage, Northern Colorado, Sr., 6-3, 245 (Big Sky Conference)
Liam Johnson, Princeton, Sr., 6-0, 220 (Ivy League)
Bryce Norman, Southeast Missouri, Jr., 6-0, 226 (Big South-OVC Football Association) - 2022 Finalist
John Pius, William & Mary, R-Jr., 6-2, 230 (CAA Football) - 2022 Finalist
Winston Reid, Weber State, Sr., 6-1, 230 (Big Sky Conference) - 2022 Finalist
Tristan Wheeler, Richmond, R-Sr., 6-2, 228 (CAA Football) - 2020 and 2022 Finalist
Antoine Williams, Western Carolina, Jr., 5-10, 205 (Southern Conference) - 2022 Finalist

Defensive Backs
Maxwell Anderson, Weber State, Sr., 5-11, 170 (Big Sky Conference)
Khalil Baker, North Carolina Central, Sr., 6-0, 185 (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) - 2022 Finalist
Kameron Brown, Chattanooga, Sr., 5-9, 179 (Southern Conference)
Rex Connors, UC Davis, R-So., 6-1, 203 (Big Sky Conference)
Myles Harden, South Dakota, Sr., 6-0, 190 (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
Devin Haskins, Holy Cross, Sr., 6-3, 209 (Patriot League)
Lawrence Johnson, Southeast Missouri, Gr., 6-0, 196 (Big South-OVC Football Association)
TaMuarion Wilson, Central Arkansas, Jr., 6-2, 205 (United Athletic Conference)