Walter Payton FCS Award Finalists
The list of finalists for the 2018 STATS FCS Walter Payton Award was released recently. STATS named 25 finalists for this prestigious award. The annual Walter Payton Award is given to the Offensive Player of the Year in the FCS. A national panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will select the winner following the regular season.
The Payton Award, first presented in 1987, has watched past winners such as Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, John Friesz, Brian Finneran, Jimmy Garoppolo and Cooper Kupp move on to the NFL.
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The bust was named in honor of the late National Football League (NFL) legend Walter Payton, who starred at Jackson State University in the early 1970s.
Among the many schools in the division, only nine have claimed more than one award, and only seven have had more than one player win the award. Eastern Washington and Villanova had three players win the award, and five have had two players win: Colgate, Georgia Southern, Idaho, New Hampshire, and Eastern Illinois. Two players have won the award twice, with both being the only players from their institutions to win. In 2009, Armanti Edwards from Appalachian St became the first to receive the award twice, followed in 2017 by Jeremiah Briscoe from Sam Houston St.
Both the Walter Payton award and the FCS’ top defensive player, the Buck Buchanan Award will be honored at the STATS FCS Awards Banquet, which is held in Frisco, Texas, on the night before the FCS National Championship Game.
Walter Payton Award Finalists
FCS Offensive Player of the Year
Tyrie Adams, QB, Jr. – Western Carolina
Michael Bandy, WR, Jr. – San Diego
Chandler Burks, QB, Sr. – Kennesaw State
Taryn Christion, QB, Sr. – South Dakota State
Ra’Quanne Dickens, RB, Sr. – Incarnate Word
Keelan Doss, WR, Sr. – UC Davis
Tom Flacco, QB, Jr. – Towson
Ryan Fulse, RB, Sr. – Wagner
A.J. Hines, RB, Jr. – Duquesne
Devlin Hodges, QB, Sr. – Samford
James Holland Jr., RB, Sr. – Colgate
Alexander Hollins, WR, Sr. – Eastern Illinois
Noah Johnson, QB, Jr. – Alcorn State
Anthony Lawrence, QB, Sr. – San Diego
John Lovett, QB, Sr. – Princeton
Jake Maier, QB, Jr. – UC Davis
Kelvin McKnight, WR, Sr. – Samford
Caylin Newton, QB, So. – Howard
Donald Parham, TE, Sr. – Stetson
Joh Pearson, WR, Jr. – Jacksonville State
Joe Protheroe, FB, Sr. – Cal Poly
James Robinson, RB, Jr. – Illinois State
Easton Stick, QB, Sr. – North Dakota State
Marquis Terry, RB, Sr. – Southeast Missouri
Reggie White Jr., WR, Sr. – Monmouth
Frank Coyle is a longtime member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Maxwell Award, Chuck Bednarik, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for over 25 years.
