CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Football defensive lineman Thor Griffith has been named as one of 30 finalists for the 2023 Buck Buchanan Award, Stats Perform announced today. The annual honor is given to the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football and presented by FedEx Ground.
 
The Buchanan Award, first presented in 1995 and in its 29th season, is named for legendary defensive lineman Junious "Buck" Buchanan, who starred at Grambling State as part of his Hall-of-Fame career. Past recipients include Dexter Coakley, Rashean Mathis, Jared Allen and Arthur Moats.
 
Griffith finished the 2023 campaign with 55 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble and eight quarterback hurries, while seeing action in all 10 games. The Portsmouth, New Hampshire, native ranked first on the team in tackles for loss and sacks, with his TFL total ranking third in the Ivy League and 42^nd nationally (through Nov. 18 games). Griffith was also part of a defense that ranked 21^st nationally in rushing defense and scoring defense. The defensive lineman, additionally, had eight or more tackles four times, including 10 in the Ivy League-title clincher vs. Penn.
 
All 13 FCS leagues, comprised from 15 conferences overall, are represented by a Buck Buchanan Award finalist. The winner, to be selected by a national voting panel, will be announced at the FCS National Awards Banquet on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas – the eve of the FCS championship game.
 
Griffith and his Harvard teammates finished the season with an 8-2 record (5-2 Ivy League) and won the program's 18^th Ivy League championship. The Crimson also spent a majority of the season ranked in the top 25, rising to as high as No. 17 in the AFCA FCS Top 25 Poll and No. 18 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll.