Montana State defensive end Caleb Schreibeis was named winner of the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
Schreibeis is the first recipient of a major national individual award in program history. He became fourth Buchanan winner in the Big Sky Conference in the last six years and fifth in the last decade.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, the magnitude of it, but the Buchanan Award is a great honor,” Schreibeis said in a statement from MSU.
“I’m proud and humbled. I’ll always remember the friendships I made here at MSU, laughing and joking with Coach (Bo) Beck and the guys in the meeting room, lining up and working hard for the same goal next to those guys. Coach Beck has made this fun, and Coach Ash has been great. I’m proud that I played for Montana State.”
The Billings native had one of the finest seasons in school history this year. He helped lead the team to 11 wins as a co-captain, setting a school record by forcing eight fumbles. His eight fumbles also led the FCS, was the highest total in Division I and was matched by only two players in the NCAA.
“I think this award is a fabulous testimony to Caleb’s work ethic and his determination,” said Montana State Head Coach Rob Ash. “He came here as a walk-on and had to fight and scratch and claw for every bit of playing time he got, gradually earning scholarship money, winning a starting job, and becoming one of the best players in the country. This is a tremendous story.”
Schreibeis recorded 12.5 sacks and 15 tackles-for-loss to lead the Big Sky. He also logged 59 tackles, including 16 against Montana.
Schreibeis joined the Bobcat program as a recruited walk-on in 2008. As a junior in 2011, he landed a starting role and he logged 65 tackles, third on the team and most among defensive linemen, with 11 tackles-for-loss. He also recorded seven sacks, third-most on the team, while hurrying the quarterback six times, breakup up two passes, and recovering a fumble.
Previous Big Sky winners of the Buchanan Award are: Idaho State’s Jared Allen (2003); Montana’s Kroy Biermann (2007); Eastern Washington’s Greg Peach (2008) and EWU’s J.C. Sherritt (2010).