Deone Bucannon at The Reese's Senior Bowl
PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State safety Deone Bucannon made three tackles in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, played last Saturday in Mobile, Ala.
Bucannon was the first Cougar to be invited to play in the game since wideout Brandon Gibson in 2009 and was the first WSU defensive player to appear in the game since Marcus Trufant in 2002. The Faifield, Calif. native was one of 110 players invited to participate in the event.
Bucannon closed out his Cougar career with one of the best seasons in WSU history after receiving a number of All-America honors . He earned First-Team All-America honors by the Associated Press, Second-Team All-America by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, All-America Third Team by CBS Sports, All-America First Team by Athlon Sports, and Honorable Mention All-America from Sports Illustrated. Bucannon became the first Cougar to earn All-American first-team honors since Jerome Harrison in 2005 and the first defensive player since defensive tackle Rien Long in 2002. He was also named a Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist, given to the top defensive back in college football, becoming the first Cougar to be named a semifinalist since Jason David in 2003.
Bucannon, an All-Pac-12 First Team selection and three-time All-Pac-12 honoree, led the Pac-12 with 114 tackles and tied for the conference lead with six interceptions.. Bucannon made 106 tackles last season. His 114 stops this season were the most by a Cougar since James Darling made 136 stops in 1996 and gave him his second straight 100-tackle season after making 106 in 2012, the first back-to-back 100-tackle seasons since Billy Newman (1999-2000). Bucannon’s six interceptions were the most by a Cougar since Erik Coleman’s seven in 2003, and he also owned team-highs of three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was named a Midseason All-American by SportsIllustrated.com and to the Midseason All-America second team by CBSSports.com.
The 6-1, 215-pound Bucannon saw his name climb up both the NCAA and the WSU record books this season. He finished his career fourth in WSU history in career tackles (384), second in career solo tackles (268) and third in career interceptions with 15. He closed the season as the NCAA’s active career leader in solo tackles, tied for the lead in career interceptions and fifth in career total tackles. He posted four double-digit tackle games this season and 16 in his career. Bucannon also played on the kickoff and punt coverage teams this season and finished tied for second on the team with seven special teams tackles, five coming on kickoff.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl is college football's premier pre-draft event, annually featuring the nation's best senior collegiate football stars and top NFL draft prospects on teams coached by NFL coaching staffs. Senior Bowl practices and game week festivities are attended by more than 800 general managers, head coaches, assistant coaches, scouts and other front office personnel from all 32 National Football League teams.
For more information on the 2014 Reese’s Senior Bowl, please visit the bowl's website at www.seniorbowl.com.