NEW HAVEN, Conn -- Junior nickel linebacker Abu Kamara has been named one of the 30 finalists for the 2025 Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented to the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football.

Kamara finished his junior regular season as one of the top tacklers in the Ivy League, totaling 65 total tackles (32 solo), 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions. His season also included two defensive touchdowns, one on an interception return, and the other on a fumble recovery. Kamara worked as the anchor to one of the top scoring defenses in the nation, as Yale's 17.2 points per game allowed ranks eighth in the entire FCS and best in the Ivy League.

Harvard's Ty Bartrum is another finalist for this award from the Ivy League.

The Buck Buchanan Award is in its 31st season and is named for defensive lineman Junious "Buck" Buchanan, who starred at Grambling State as part of his Hall of Fame career. Past Buchanan recipients include Dexter Coakley, Rashean Mathis and Jared Allen.

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.