Lehigh University Athletics
Yoder, Ochojski Named Finalists For FCS National Awards
11/25/2025 12:30:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The top 30 finalists for both the Walter Payton Award and Buck Buchanan Award were announced Tuesday by Stats Perform, with Lehigh football earning representation for both awards. Junior running back Luke Yoder is a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top offensive player in the FCS and senior linebacker Tyler Ochojski is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the FCS' top defensive player.
The winners for both awards will be selected by a national voting panel and will be announced at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Show on Jan. 3 in Nashville, Tenn. Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the FCS Coach of the Year, on Monday with that award also being handed out Jan. 3.
Yoder is Lehigh's first Walter Payton Award finalist since Dom Bragalone '19 in 2017. The Most Valuable Player of Lehigh's championship-clinching 42-32 win at Lafayette on Saturday, Yoder has rushed 187 times for 1,329 yards this season, a 7.1 yard-per-carry average, and 15 touchdowns. He joins Bragalone as the only two Lehigh players with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons, as he currently ranks fifth on Lehigh's single-season rushing list. Yoder rushed for a career-high 234 yards and four touchdowns in Saturday's Rivalry win.
Ochojski gives Lehigh a Buck Buchanan Award finalist for the second straight season, following linebacker Mike DeNucci '24. A two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week this season, Ochojski ranks third on the Mountain Hawks with 56 tackles, and leads Lehigh with 12 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Ochojski had a two-sack game in September at Duquesne, and a dominant performance in Lehigh's 41-0 shutout of Georgetown with four tackles for loss and three sacks. Lehigh boasts a defense that ranks first in the FCS against the rush and also ranks in the top five in yards allowed, points allowed and sacks.
Lehigh won its 14th Patriot League championship and second straight, with a 12-0 regular season, the sixth undefeated regular season in program history. The Mountain Hawks will host either Harvard or Villanova in a second round FCS playoff game, Dec. 6 at noon. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com.
Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.
The winners for both awards will be selected by a national voting panel and will be announced at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Show on Jan. 3 in Nashville, Tenn. Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the FCS Coach of the Year, on Monday with that award also being handed out Jan. 3.
Yoder is Lehigh's first Walter Payton Award finalist since Dom Bragalone '19 in 2017. The Most Valuable Player of Lehigh's championship-clinching 42-32 win at Lafayette on Saturday, Yoder has rushed 187 times for 1,329 yards this season, a 7.1 yard-per-carry average, and 15 touchdowns. He joins Bragalone as the only two Lehigh players with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons, as he currently ranks fifth on Lehigh's single-season rushing list. Yoder rushed for a career-high 234 yards and four touchdowns in Saturday's Rivalry win.
Ochojski gives Lehigh a Buck Buchanan Award finalist for the second straight season, following linebacker Mike DeNucci '24. A two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week this season, Ochojski ranks third on the Mountain Hawks with 56 tackles, and leads Lehigh with 12 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Ochojski had a two-sack game in September at Duquesne, and a dominant performance in Lehigh's 41-0 shutout of Georgetown with four tackles for loss and three sacks. Lehigh boasts a defense that ranks first in the FCS against the rush and also ranks in the top five in yards allowed, points allowed and sacks.
Lehigh won its 14th Patriot League championship and second straight, with a 12-0 regular season, the sixth undefeated regular season in program history. The Mountain Hawks will host either Harvard or Villanova in a second round FCS playoff game, Dec. 6 at noon. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com.
Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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