Oregon Ducks Defensive End DeForest Buckner Named Pac-12 Player Of The Year

Oregon is not in the running for the National Championship or the Pac-12 Title, but one big reason they finished second in the Pac-12 North was the play of Defensive End DeForest Buckner. He was recognized by Conference Coaches on Tuesday and named the Defensive Player of the Year.

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While the Oregon Ducks Secondary was experiencing some growing pains throughout the 2015 regular season and the Oregon Offense had some early struggles, the team still ended ranked in the Top 25 and reeled off seven straight wins, there was one player that pulled off big plays at the right time, including a play to close out the regular season against Oregon State. On Tuesday the Pac-12 Conference announced the Pac-12 Players of the Year, voted on by the Conference Coaches and Oregon Senior Defensive End DeForest Bucker topped the list.

DeForest Buckner had a chance to leave for the National Football League at the end of 2014, but decided to return to Oregon and anchor a front line that through the season became on of the better Defensive Lines in the Conference. He finished the regular season with 9.5 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss, good enough for second and third in the Pac-12 respectively. Buckner is considered to be one of the top draft picks in the 2016 NFL Draft and returning to school may have helped raise his stock just a bit.

"Being the one selected to receive the award is a blessing. I also know that none of this would have happened if it weren’t for the help and guidance of my coaches and teammates, so I’m truly thankful.Defensive End DeForest Buckner on Being Named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year"

The Pac-12 also announce Offensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. While Quarterback Vernon Adams was certainly in the mix, the award went to Christian McCaffrey from Stanford, who has his team possibly in the mix for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Coach of the Year was split between David Shaw from Stanford and Mike Leach from Washington State.

The Oregon Ducks now await the announcement of their 2015 Bowl Game Appearance, which is expected to be announced following the Pac-12 Championship Game this weekend. Stanford and USC will meet for the Conference Championship. Oregon defeated both USC and Stanford this season.