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Bridgewater, NJ — Two NEC defensive backs continue to make waves on the national level as Central Connecticut redshirt junior Chris Jean (Rochester, NY/Rochester) and LIU redshirt senior Trey Watkins ((Rahway, NJ/St. Joseph Regional (Lafayette)) were named to the 2026 Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List, which is presented annually to the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football. 
 
The 30-player preseason watch list includes representation from all 13 FCS conferences. The list also features five past finalists. 
 
The award, in its 32nd season, is named for legendary 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; Mercer’s Andrew Zock was the 2025 winner. 
 
The honor comes just one day after the duo were pegged FCS Preseason All-Americans by the organization with Jean receiving a nod to the First Team and Watkins garnered Third Team distinction. 
 
Jean is no stranger to watch lists that have been put out by Stats Perform. The Rochester, NY native made the cut for the 25-member Jerry Rice Award, which honors the national freshman of the year in college football’s Division I FCS subdivision, following a rookie campaign that saw him take home NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year distinction 2024.
 
A two-time All-NEC first teamer for the back-to-back defending NEC regular season champions, Jean led the league and was sixth in the nation after he averaged 1.31 passes defended per game in 2025. Disrupting 13 passes while recording four interceptions, the two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week contributed 69 tackles, fourth-most among Blue Devils. 
 
Jean concluded the season by racking up even more honors, including Stats Perform All-America Third Team, Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention and FCS Football Central All-America Third Team plaudits. In addition, his 31 career passes defended were the most in the nation by any active FCS first, second or third-year player at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign.  
 
Watkins is coming off a debut season in the NEC that saw him ink his name on the All-NEC First Team. A product of the Garden State and Lafayette transfer who was twice named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week, he closed out the year as the NEC’s statistical leader in interceptions with five. Furthermore, Watkins, who was just one of 16 FCS plyers to register five-or-more picks last season, finished fourth in the nation with 0.42 interceptions per game. 
 
Watkins also recorded 51.0 tackles, 1.0 tackle-for-loss, two pass breakups and a forced fumble for the Sharks.