By ERIC TABER
Preseason accolades for Montana senior linebacker Josh Buss continue to roll in, with STATS Inc. naming him a first team preseason All-American on Tuesday.
The Boise, Idaho, native is the lone Grizzly honored and the only player of 15 selected from the Big Sky Conference to earn a place on the defensive first team.
Buss’ preseason All-America selection is his third major honor in recent weeks. On July 23 he became the only FCS player named to The Butkus Award watch list for the nation’s top linebacker. He was also named the Big Sky’s preseason Defensive Player of the Year at the league’s media days in Spokane, Wash. on July 16.
Photo Courtesy of Grizzly Athletics
Buss enters the 2018 season as Montana’s top returning tackler with 198 career takedowns, 36 career tackles-for-loss, and 12 career sacks, placing him among Montana’s top-10 all-time leaders in TFLs and top-30 in sacks.
In 2017 the 6-2, 220-pounder was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award that goes to the top defender in the FCS and won Montana’s Steve Carlson Defensive MVP award for a second-straight year with 94 tackles, 13.5 TFLs and five sacks.
Buss was also named to All-America teams by HERO Sports and Phil Steel’s magazine and was named second-team All-Big Sky.
Buss burst onto the scene as a sophomore in 2016, leading the Big Sky with 20 tackles-for-loss and posting more total tackles than any other Grizzly that season (81). He earned the ROOT Sports Player of the Week award that year with a (then) career-high 10 tackles and 4.5 TFLs against Sacramento State.
The STATS All-America team is comprised of three teams featuring 98 players from 56 schools across all 13 FCS conferences and includes representatives from North Dakota, an FCS independent.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference gained the most All-America selections with 16, the Big Sky Conference was second with 15, and CAA Football was third with 14. North Dakota State led the way with seven selections, FCS runner-up James Madison boasted five, and Sam Houston State, Weber State, and Youngstown State had four each.
Since 1987 Montana has had 63 players earn postseason All-America honors by STATS/The Sports Network. Tyrone Homes and Jamaal Jones were named STATS All-Americans in 2015 – the same year Holmes was named the national Defensive Player of the Year.
Buss is one of 11 returning starters for the Griz this season. Montana opens its season under the lights at Washington-Grizzly Stadium against Northern Iowa on Sept. 1.
2018 STATS FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Devlin Hodges, senior, 6-1, 205, Samford
RB – Bruce Anderson, senior, 5-11, 216, North Dakota State
RB – Dom Bragalone, senior, 5-11, 230, Lehigh
FB – Cal Daniels, senior, 6-2, 255, Stony Brook
WR – Keelan Doss, senior, 6-3, 210, UC Davis*
WR – Neil O’Connor, senior, 5-11, 190, New Hampshire
WR – Nathan Stewart, junior, 5-11, 175, Sam Houston State
TE – Charlie Taumoepeau, junior, 6-3, 240, Portland State*
OL – Larry Allen III, senior, 6-4, 285, Harvard
OL – B.J. Autry, senior, 6-5, 340, Jacksonville State
OL – Ethan Greenidge, senior, 6-4, 335, Villanova
OL – Zach Larsen, junior, 6-1, 300, Southern Utah*
OL – Iosua Opeta, senior, 6-4, 295, Weber State*
DEFENSE
DL – Miles Brown, senior, 6-2, 320, Wofford
DL – Ahmad Gooden, senior, 6-1, 240, Samford
DL – Khalen Saunders, senior, 6-2, 310, Western Illinois
DL – Chris Terrell, junior, 6-3, 266, Central Arkansas
LB – Bryson Armstrong, sophomore, 5-11, 205, Kennesaw State
LB – Josh Buss, senior, 6-2, 220, Montana*
LB – Warren Messer, senior, 5-11, 230, Elon
LB – Christian Rozeboom, junior, 6-2, 230, South Dakota State
DB – Nasir Adderley, senior, 6-0, 190, Delaware
DB – Marlon Bridges, junior, 6-0, 200, Jacksonville State
DB – Robbie Grimsley, senior, 6-0, 191, North Dakota State
DB – Rashad Robinson, senior, 5-11, 182, James Madison
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Lorran Fonseca, senior, 5-11, 185, Nicholls
P – Alex Pechin, senior, 6-0, 185, Bucknell
LS – Chris Wilkerson, grad, 6-2, 245, Stephen F. Austin
KR – Juwan Petit-Frere, junior, 5-7, 170, Southeastern Louisiana
PR – Justice Shelton-Mosley, senior, 5-10, 195, Harvard
AP – Davion Davis, senior, 5-11, 180, Sam Houston State
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Easton Stick, senior, 6-2, 221, North Dakota State
RB – Zane Dudek, sophomore, 5-9, 190, Yale
RB – Tevin McCaster, senior, 5-10, 195, Youngstown State
FB – Joe Protheroe, senior, 6-0, 230, Cal Poly*
WR – Jesper Horsted, senior, 6-4, 215, Princeton
WR – Kamron Lewis, senior, 6-4, 195, Saint Francis
WR – Kelvin McKnight, senior, 5-9, 188, Samford
TE – Lawayne Ross, junior, 6-0, 264, McNeese
OL – Daniel Cooney, senior, 6-8, 315, San Diego
OL – Tyler Davis, senior, 6-1, 279, The Citadel
OL – Noah Johnson, junior, 6-4, 300, Idaho*
OL – Tanner Volson, senior, 6-4, 301, North Dakota State
OL – Mitchell Watanabe, senior, 6-4, 330, Sam Houston State
DEFENSE
DL – Andrew Clyde, senior, 6-3, 275, Richmond
DL – Darin Greenfield, junior, 6-3, 235, South Dakota
DL – Greg Menard, senior, 6-2, 238, North Dakota State
DL – Jaison Williams, junior, 6-1, 225, Austin Peay
LB – De’Arius Christmas, senior, 5-10, 220, Grambling State
LB – Thomas Costigan, senior, 6-3, 230, Bryant
LB – Nick Miller, senior, 5-11, 215, Penn
LB – Troy Reeder, senior, 6-2, 245, Delaware
DB – Deion Harris, senior, 6-3, 200, North Dakota
DB – Davanta Reynolds, senior, 5-10, 200, North Carolina Central
DB – Rob Rolle, senior, 6-0, 185, Villanova
DB – Marvin Tillman, senior, 6-1, 190, Western Carolina
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Trey Tuttle, sophomore, 5-9, 190, Weber State*
P – Ian Berryman, senior, 6-0, 205, Western Carolina
LS – Daniel Caracciolo, sophomore, 5-11, 215, James Madison
KR – Jean Constant, junior, 5-9, 168, Bryant
PR – D’Angelo Amos, junior, 6-1, 182, James Madison
AP – Chandler Burks, senior, 5-10, 187, Kennesaw State
AP – John Santiago, senior, 5-9, 180, North Dakota
THIRD TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Gage Gubrud, senior, 6-2, 205, Eastern Washington*
RB – A.J. Hines, junior, 5-11, 225, Duquesne
RB – Marquis Terry, senior, 5-6, 179, Southeast Missouri State
FB – Andre Stoddard, senior, 5-10, 230, Wofford
WR – Dejon Brissett, senior, 6-2, 190, Richmond
WR – Emmanuel Butler, senior, 6-4, 220, Northern Arizona*
WR – Nehari Crawford, senior, 5-11, 170, Duquesne
WR – Reggie White Jr., senior, 6-3, 210, Monmouth
TE – Wes Preece, junior, 6-5, 240, UC Davis*
OL – Chandler Arceneaux, senior, 6-5, 295, Nicholls
OL – C.J. Collins, senior, 6-3, 256, Kennesaw State
OL – Jahee Jackson, junior, 6-3, 295, James Madison
OL – Zack Johnson, junior, 6-6, 312, North Dakota State
OL – Zach Weeks, senior, 6-3, 285, Western Carolina
OL – Gavin Wiggins, senior, 6-4, 300, Youngstown State
DEFENSE
DL – Darryl Johnson Jr., junior, 6-5, 226, North Carolina A&T
DL – Ricky Neal, senior, 6-1, 241, Northern Iowa
DL – Aaron Patrick, junior, 6-4, 236, Eastern Kentucky
DL – Chris Stewart, senior, 6-2, 270, Sam Houston State
DL – Nick Wheeler, junior, 6-2, 245, Colgate
LB – Jabril Cox, sophomore, 6-3, 227, North Dakota State
LB – Armand Dellovade, senior, 6-0, 215, Youngstown State
LB – Kaden Elliss, senior, 6-3, 222, Idaho*
LB – Gunnar Scholato, senior, 6-3, 234, Austin Peay
LB – LeGrand Toia, senior, 6-2, 215, Weber State*
DB – Jordan Brown, senior, 6-1, 195, South Dakota State
DB – Mister Harriel, senior, 6-1, 200, Sacramento State*
DB – Franklin McCain, sophomore, 5-11, 175, North Carolina A&T
DB – Jimmy Moreland, senior, 5-11, 172, James Madison
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Marc Orozco, senior, 5-9, 170, Grambling State
P – Jamie Gillan, senior, 6-2, 195, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
LS – Steven Wethli, senior, 6-0, 230, Youngstown State
KR – Rashid Shaheed, sophomore, 6-0, 170, Weber State*
PR – Jaquan Brooks, junior, 5-10, 175, Campbell
AP – John Lovett, senior, 6-3, 225, Princeton
*- Big Sky Conference Selection