Buck Buchanan Award Candidate
Returning All-American who will be one of the top candidates for the Buck Buchanan Award
Will be in his third season as a starting linebacker
Big-time hitter with good quickness
Preseason first team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection
Ranks third all-time at UMass in solo tackles (254) and fifth in total tackles (355)
Has played in 39 career games, making 28 starts
Also a member of the UMass track team.
1999: Finished second in the voting for the 1999 Buck Buchanan Award, presented annually to the nations top Division I-AA defensive player
Named the National Linebacker of the Year by Don Hansens National Weekly Football Gazette
Selected to the Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America team
Earned first team All-America honors from The Sports Network, Don Hansens National Weekly Football Gazette and Teamlink.com, while being a third team All-America selection by the Associated Press
A first team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection
Named to the New England Football Writers Division I-AA All-Star team
Selected to the All-Eastern College Athletic Conference first team
Started every game of the season at middle linebacker
Led the team with 147 tackles on the year, including 109 solo stops
Also had 13 tackles for loss, five sacks and two interceptions
Placed third on the school single-season list for solo tackles, and sixth for total tackles
Ranked third in the Atlantic 10 Conference in total tackles, fifth in tackles for loss and ninth in sacks
Led the team in tackles eight times on the season, while reaching double figures in tackles nine times
Had seven solo tackles at Georgia Southern in the NCAA quarterfinals, before leaving the game in the third quarter due to a sprained ankle
Recorded 10 tackles at Furman in the NCAA first round
Had six tackles with a sack and a forced fumble at William & Mary
Recorded 16 tackles in the win at Richmond, with two tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, a sack and a pass breakup
Totaled 17 tackles in the victory over Rhode Island, including a pair of sacks for 21 yards and four tackles for loss
Named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week and WHMP / UMass Athlete of the Week following the Rhode Island game, while also being selected to the ECAC / Budget Division I-AA Honor Roll
Led the team with 11 tackles (all solo) at Delaware, while also intercepting a pass and returning it 36 yards to set up the go-ahead field goal for the Minutemen
Named to the ECAC / Budget Division I-AA Honor Roll following the Delaware game
Recorded a team-best 13 tackles in the victory at Maine
Had a team-high 14 tackles against Hofstra, including two for loss and a sack for 15 yards
Led the team with 15 tackles at Toledo
Had a team-high 15 tackles, 13 of them solo, and an interception at Villanova
Made 17 tackles, 14 of them unassisted, against New Hampshire in the season opener
Preseason first team All-America selection by The Sports Network
A preseason second team All-America selection by Teamlink.com
Earned preseason third team All-America honors from Don Hansens National Weekly Football Gazette
Also named to the preseason All-Atlantic 10 first team by A-10 coaches and The Sporting News
Selected A-10 preseason Defensive Player of the Year by The Sporting News
Named to the Athletic Directors Honor Roll in the fall of 1999.
1998: Started all 15 games on the season at outside linebacker
A second team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection
Led the team in tackles with 165, including 116 solo stops
Had 15 tackles for loss and two sacks for 17 yards
Also had an interception and eight pass breakups
Forced five fumbles and recovered five fumbles
Ranked second in the Atlantic 10 Conference in tackles during the regular season
His 116 solo tackles on the year set a new school single-season record, while his 165 total tackles rank second on the school single-season list
Had a team-best 16 tackles against Georgia Southern in the NCAA championship game, while forcing two fumbles and recovering three
Returned one of his fumble recoveries against Georgia Southern nine yards for a touchdown, giving UMass a 14-0 lead in the first quarter
Led the team with 12 tackles in NCAA quarterfinal victory over Lehigh, with two tackles for loss and a forced fumble
Made nine tackles in NCAA first round game at McNeese State, while breaking up a pass, forcing a fumble and recovering a fumble
Had 11 tackles against Maine, including nine solo stops and a sack for eight yards
Made nine tackles, eight solo and two for loss, at Rhode Island
Had a team-best 21 tackles in the victory at New Hampshire, with two tackles for loss and fumble recovery
Named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week following the New Hampshire game, while also being named to the ECAC / Budget Division I-AA Honor Roll
Led the team with 10 tackles against Villanova, including two for loss and a sack for nine yards
Named to the ECAC / Budget Division I-AA Honor Roll following the Villanova game
Had a team-high 16 tackles at Connecticut, while also forcing a fumble
Made nine tackles against James Madison
Had eight tackles at Hofstra
Made a team-high 12 tackles against Buffalo
Had a team-leading 15 tackles at Richmond, including 14 solo and two for loss, while also intercepting a pass and returning it for two yards
Made eight tackles at Delaware
Named to the Athletic Directors Honor Roll in the spring of 1999.
1997: Saw action in all 11 games at linebacker and on special teams
Tops among freshmen and tied for eighth on the team with 43 total tackles (29 solo), including one sack and two tackles for loss
Recorded at least three tackles in seven of the 11 games on the season
Had his best performance of the year vs. Hofstra while filling in for an injured Khari Samuel (strained abdominal muscle, left game in second quarter)
Posted a game-high 12 tackles (10 solo) with one tackle for loss against Hofstra
Recorded eight tackles (four solo) at Maine
Registered seven tackles in the season finale against Connecticut.
Before UMass: Three-year letterwinner for Bill Hardy at Nashua (N.H.) High School
Played outside linebacker and tight end while leading his team to a 10-2 record and state runner-up finish in his senior campaign
First team All-State pick and USA Today Honorable Mention choice as a senior
Boston Globe New Hampshire Player of the Year and a Lowell Sun All-Star pick in his senior year
Named his high schools Athlete of the Year as a senior
Two-time Nashua Telegraph first team All-Area choice
Second team All-State selection as a junior
Also earned two letters in track as a sprinter and thrower
State champion in the shot put (567)
Tied the state record in the 55-meter dash (6.2 seconds)
Football and track team captain as a senior. UMass Track: Placed seventh in the shot put at the 2000 Atlantic 10 Indoor Championship (485-1/2).
Personal: Full name is Bamikole Richard Ayi
Son of Akin and Kristy Ayi
Brother, Femi, is a member of the football team at Delaware
Born September 27, 1978 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Attended the same high school as incoming freshman tight end Sean Young
Majoring in Legal Studies.
Ayi's Defensive Statistics
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