On April 3, the Rhode Island Football community gathered at the Quonset O Club in North Kingstown, Rhode Island to honor the 2024 award winners from the Providence Gridiron Club.
Two of the University of Rhode Island’s football players were honored at the event. Third-year A.J. Pena and second-year Marquis Buchanan were named as Providence Gridiron Club Most Valuable Players.
2024 marks the first year that the award was given to two different players. Due to the growth of the Rhode Island football program and its recent success, Rhode Island’s team chaplain, Bob Izzi, who is also the president of the Providence Gridiron Club, decided to name two award winners.
“I think the first shoutout goes to the Providence Gridiron Club for doing their great work,” URI Head Coach Jim Fleming said.
The Offensive MVP award was presented to second-year Marquis Buchanan, a wide receiver who debuted in 2024 after redshirting the season prior. Buchanan brought an immediate spark to the squad, reeling in two receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown in his collegiate debut against Georgia State University on Aug. 31, 2023.
Throughout the remainder of the season, Buchanan collected 42 receptions for a total of 638 yards and four touchdowns. His efforts granted him a spot on the Phil Steele Freshman All-American team and the Phil Steele All-Coastal Athletic Association Third Team.
“First and foremost [Buchanan] is a Providence kid, he’s a Gatorade player of the year, he is one that could have chosen other places and chose to stay home and represent the state,” Fleming said. “He’s a spectacular player, he had a great freshman year after a very frustrating redshirt year, but he’s got a bright future and I expect him to be one of the best by the time he walks out of here.”
Buchanan himself feels that the award is a sole representation of how the people around him view him as a player.
“It means they believe in me and the work that I put in last season and they trust me going into this season, so I’m just honored to take [the award],” Buchanan said.
On the other side of the ball, third-year AJ Pena received the honor for Defensive MVP. Pena is another player who stood out on the field, wrapping up the quarterback 3½ times in his second collegiate game against Bryant University on Sept. 10, 2022.
In the 2023 season, Pena grew as a player, posting career highs in sacks with nine and tackles for loss with 15½, while also recording an interception.
“He means a lot [to the defense],” Fleming said. “He is an incredible pass rusher… he’s also a very intense catalyst type guy. When he is really going fast and furious, everybody else is going fast.”
Pena feels that the award going to two players on the same team is a testament to the culture the program is building right now – one that promotes advancement and growth.
“It just shows what we are building on both sides of the ball,” Pena said. “Obviously we lost a lot of guys, [it was] a heavy senior-oriented team last year and we are pretty relatively young to win that award.”
Pena, Buchanan and the rest of the Rams are looking to showcase all of their hard work throughout the offseason at their annual Spring Game on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Meade Stadium. The game is free to attend for all fans.