University of Tennessee at Chattanooga junior linebacker Wes Dothard was named to the 2012 Buck Buchanan Award Watch List. Dothard is one of 20 players up for the top defensive honor in the Football Championship Subdivision present by The Sports Network.
After earning First Team All-American honors in 2011, Dothard is gaining a lot of well-deserved preseason recognition. He has already been named preseason All-American by The Sports Network, and now the Carrollton, Ga., native is recognized among the top defensive players in the nation heading into 2012.
Dothard (6-1, 235) is coming off an outstanding sophomore season that included 98 tackles, five forced fumbles and two defensive scores. He was a First Team All-Southern Conference pick and was the league's Player of the Month in September.
The Buchanan Award Watch List can undergo revisions during the 2012 season. Ballots will be sent to a panel of about 175 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries following the regular season on Nov. 19. The top three vote-getters will be invited to The Sports Network FCS Awards Presentation.
The Sports Network also presents the Walter Payton, Jerry Rice and Eddie Robinson awards. The Payton Award honors the FCS player of the year, the Rice Award goes to the FCS freshman of the year and the Robinson Award honors the FCS coach of the year.
