Football | 5/18/2026 4:30:00 PM
May 18, 2026-MIAA Defensive Player of the Year and Academic All-American
Landon Boss is one of five male finalists for the Ken B. Jones Award, presented by
Summit Pointe Financial Group, as the top student-athlete in the MIAA. The Emporia State Male Student-Athlete of the Year will be recognized, along with the other finalists from around the league, at the 2026 MIAA Awards Celebration presented by Seigfreid Bingham on June 1 at the Atkins Auditorium, inside the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo.
Boss 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. The Osage City, Kan. native tallied 101 tackles on the season, which included ten sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and a defensive touchdown. He led the MIAA in sacks and tackles for loss while ranking second in the league in solo tackles and fourth in total tackles. His 69 solo tackles are the fifth most in the nation, his 17.5 tackles for loss rank sixth in the nation while his ten sacks are 12th in the nation.
Boss finished the season with ten sacks to rank fourth all-time on the Emporia State single season list. His 18 tackles for loss on the season move him into a tie with Greg Harvey (1993), Leon Brigham (1997) and Gerard Clemons (1998) for fourth on the Emporia State single season TFL list. He tied Patrick Cook (1995) and Gerard Clemons (1997) for the school record with four sacks in a game.
In the classroom Boss was a First-Team Academic All-American for the Hornets with a 3.72 GPA in business. He has a 3.72 GPA in business and will be recognized as an MIAA Scholar-Athlete and member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.
In the community Boss has helped out the youth in his hometown of Osage City by running sports clinics and taking youth on guided turkey hunts in the area. He has led several High Five Fridays with the Hornet football team at various Emporia elementary schools. He volunteered to run bouncy house for kids at the annual Smoke in the Spring BBQ festival in Osage City. He has stocked shelves at Corky's Cupboard and unloaded food at a community food pantry. He has also raked leaves and shoveled snow for senior citizens.
The MIAA hosts its annual Awards Celebration presented by
Seigfreid Bingham,on Monday, June 1, at the Nelson-Atkins Museum Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. The RSVP-only event will include the official induction of the MIAA Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the naming of the Ken B. Jones Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year, and many more awards from the 2025-26 academic year. Doors to the Nelson-Atkins Museum Auditorium will open at 5:30 p.m. on June 1, with the event scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. MIAA friends and family can RSVP to the event at
theMIAA.com/RSVP. Parking costs will be covered by the MIAA.
Blair Kerkhoff returns as the event's emcee for the eighth consecutive year. The evening will begin with brief remarks from MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy, followed by the presentation of multiple individual and institutional awards on stage. Highlighting the evening's festivities is the newest class of the MIAA Hall of Fame. The 2026 class includes seven former student-athletes – including Hornet track and field national champion Josh Honeycutt and ESU softball All-American Miranda Campbell, three former MIAA coaches/administrators, and one team. The 2026 Awards Celebration will conclude with the announcement of the 2025-26 male and female Ken B. Jones award winners.
A recording of the 2026 MIAA Awards Celebration Ceremony will be available on
The MIAA Network following the event's conclusion.
