Terrell Allen, the standout defensive lineman for the Tennessee State Tigers, just added the Buck Buchanan Award to his list of accolades. He beat out Albany's Dylan Kelly and Lafayette's Billy Shaeffer for the prestigious honor. The award is bestowed upon the best defensive player in all of FCS football. Allen becomes the first player from Tennessee State and the fifth HBCU player to win the award.

โ€œBlessed & thankful to accept the Buck Buchanan award this past weekend,โ€ Allen wrote on an โ€˜X' post. โ€œIt feels good to know the work you put in pays off. God has blessed me so much in this past year all I can say is thank you. Thanks to everyone for the support thus far. More to come from TA.

Terrell Allen had an unbelievable year for the Tigers. He recorded 65 total tackles โ€“ 44 solo, 21 assists โ€“ 28 tackles for loss, and 14.5 sacks. He also forced five fumbles and recovered one. Allen's efforts earned him three Big South OVC Player of the Week accolades, a spot on the 2023 All Big South-OVC First Team Defense, and the 2023 Big South-OVC Defensive Player of the Year award.

Allen topped the nation in sacks and tackles for loss, recording an impressive 14.5 sacks and 28 tackles, respectively. He was also on the hunt to break Tennessee State's single-season sack record, narrowly surpassing Richard Dent's 14 sacks. Only Joe โ€œTurkeyโ€ Jones, with 19 sacks in the 1968 season, remained ahead.