October 14, 2026-Stop us if you have heard it before.
Landon Boss won the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week Award on Monday. For the fifth time in six games this year.
With this week's honor, he becomes the first player to earn five MIAA Football Player of the Week honors in a single season since Harlon Hill Award winner Zach Zebrowski of Central Missouri won five during the entire 2024 season. Boss is believed to be the first defensive player to earn the award five times in a single season.
The first week of the season the senior was named MIAA and College Football Network National Defensive Player of the Week after recording a career high 17 tackles with two tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the Hornets 36-30 win at Minot State.
Boss picked up his second MIAA Defensive Player of the Week honor after recording seven tackles, 2.5 TFL and an interception in Emporia State's 21-10 win at then #10 Pittsburg State.
He had 13 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack and two quarterback hurries in a 34-20 Emporia State win over then #20 Michigan Tech to pick up his third MIAA and second College Football Network National Defensive Player of the Week honor.
The one game so far this year that he played and was not recognized as Player of the Week, he had seven tackles, a 50 yard scoop and score fumble recovery and scored on a one yard rushing touchdown against Neb.-Kearney. He was responsible for the only touchdowns by either team in the 19-9 Hornet victory.
Boss came out of Emporia State's bye week with a career high 4.5 tackles for loss in a 34-22 win over Missouri Western on the way to his fourth MIAA Defensive Player of the Week award of the season.
He had his nation's leading second fumble recovery for a touchdown in Emporia State's 35-21 victory at Missouri Southern last Saturday for his fifth MIAA award of the season. With the Hornets leading 14-7 in the second quarter but having just turned the ball over on downs at the Lions 39 yard line, Boss shot through on the left side and stripped Missouri Southern quarterback Tillman Martin of the ball, picked it up and went 31 yards into the end zone for his second defensive score and third touchdown overall this season. He did not play the fourth quarter and finished with four tackles, including the strip sack scoop and score.
The Osage City, Kan. native leads the nation in tackles for loss and defensive fumble recoveries for a touchdown, is second in forced fumbles, fifth in fumble recoveries and 20th in total tackles per game. He has garnered eight MIAA Defensive Player of the Week awards in 17 career games with the Hornets, all of them coming in his last 12 games.
Last year Boss was a finalist for the Ken B. Jones Award as the top male student-athlete in the MIAA and the Cliff Harris Award for the best defensive player in NCAA Division II. He earned First-Team All-American honors from the AFCA, D2CCA, AP, Don Hansen Football Committee, and Walter Camp Football Foundation and was named Second-Team All-American by D2Football.com. Boss was a unanimous selection as a First-Team All-MIAA linebacker, while also winning the Defensive Player of the Year award in the Association. He was also named a First-Team Academic All-American.
He leads all active NCAA players regardless of division in career solo tackles for loss per game, is second in TFL per game, fourth in defensive touchdowns, fifth in solo tackles per game, sixth in forced fumbles per game and eighth in total tackles per game.
The now #8 Hornets return to Blackcreek Diesel Field inside Welch Stadium this Saturday to take on Central Oklahoma. Kick-off is set for 1:00 p.m.
