SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The finalists for the STATS FCS legacy awards were announced Monday, and the Southern Conference had finalists for all four of the awards.
Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges and Western Carolina running back Detrez Newsome were named finalists for the Walter Payton Award, given to the FCS Offensive Player of the Year.
Samford defensive lineman Ahmad Gooden was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which honors the FCS Defensive Player of the Year.
Furman’s Reynard Ellis and Mercer’s Kaelan Riley were tabbed finalists for the Jerry Rice Award, which honors the FCS Freshman of the Year, and Wofford’s Mike Ayers was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the FCS Coach of the Year.
The award winners will be announced on Jan. 5 at the STATS FCS Awards Banquet and Presentation in Frisco, Texas, on the eve of the national championship game.
WALTER PAYTON AWARD FINALISTS (FCS Offensive Player of the Year)
Dominick Bragalone, RB, Jr. - Lehigh; Jeremiah Briscoe, QB, Sr. - Sam Houston State; Chandler Burks, QB, Jr. - Kennesaw State; Taryn Christion, QB, Jr. - South Dakota State; Case Cookus, QB, So. - Northern Arizona; Keelan Doss, WR, Jr. - UC Davis; Dallas Goedert, TE, Sr. - South Dakota State; Gage Gubrud, QB, Jr. - Eastern Washington; Hayden Hildebrand, QB, Sr. - Central Arkansas; Devlin Hodges, QB, Jr. - Samford; Chad Kanoff, QB, Sr. - Princeton; DeVante Kincade, QB, Sr. - Grambling State; Kyle Lauletta, QB, Sr. - Richmond; Anthony Lawrence, QB, Jr. - San Diego; Josh Mack, RB, So. - Maine; Detrez Newsome, RB, Sr. - Western Carolina; Neil O'Connor, WR, Jr. - New Hampshire; Brandon Parker, OT, Sr. - North Carolina A&T; Troy Pelletier, WR, Sr. - Lehigh; Lamar Raynard, QB, Jr. - North Carolina A&T; Bryan Schor, QB, Sr. - James Madison; Chris Streveler, QB, Sr. - South Dakota, QB; Tommy Stuart, QB, Grad - Duquesne; Roc Thomas, RB, Sr. - Jacksonville State; Justin Watson, WR, Sr. - Penn
BUCK BUCHANAN AWARD FINALISTS (FCS Defensive Player of the Year)
Andrew Ankrah, DE, Sr. - James Madison; Mike Basile, SS, Sr. - Monmouth; Marlon Bridges, FS, So. - Jacksonville State; Brandon Bryant, LB, Sr. - Lafayette; Josh Buss, LB, Jr. - Montana; De'Arius Christmas, LB, Jr. - Grambling State; Nick DeLuca, LB, Sr. - North Dakota State; Garrett Dolan, LB, Sr. - Houston Baptist; Malik Duncan, CB, Sr. - Saint Francis; Anthony Ellis, DE, Sr. - Charleston Southern; Jared Farley, LB, Sr. - Northern Iowa; Ahmad Gooden, DE, Jr. - Samford; P.J. Hall, DL, Sr. - Sam Houston State; Davontae Harris, CB, Sr. - Illinois State; Darius Jackson, DE, Sr. - Jacksonville State; Mario Jenkins, LB, Sr. - Idaho State; Darius Leonard, LB, Sr. - South Carolina State; Warren Messer, LB, Jr. - Elon; Matthew Oplinger, OLB, Sr. - Yale; Jonathan Peterson, DE, Sr. - San Diego; Christian Rozeboom, LB, So. - South Dakota State; Tremon Smith, CB, Sr. - Central Arkansas; Brett Taylor, LB, Sr. - Western Illinois; Sione Teuhema, LB, Sr. - Southeastern Louisiana; Jaison Williams, DE, So. - Austin Peay
JERRY RICE AWARD FINALISTS (FCS Freshman Player of the Year)
Troy Anderson, RB/LB - Montana State; Bryson Armstrong, LB - Kennesaw State; Grant Breneman, QB - Colgate; Davis Cheek, QB - Elon; Jabril Cox, LB - North Dakota State; Kierre Crossley, RB - Central Arkansas; Glenn Cunningham, LB - Fordham; Zane Dudek, RB - Yale; Wesley Dugger, RB - Davidson; Reynard Ellis, LB - Furman; Jaron Grayer, LB - Maine; Pete Guerriero, RB - Monmouth; Gresch Jensen, QB - Montana; Anthony Knighton, DE - Southern Illinois; Torrance Marable, RB - Presbyterian; Franklin "Mac" McCain III, CB - North Carolina A&T; Caylin Newton, QB - Howard; Kaelan Riley, QB - Mercer, QB; Vincent Sellers, S - Tennessee State; Daniel Smith, QB - Campbell
EDDIE ROBINSON AWARD FINALISTS (FCS Coach of the Year)
Mike Ayers, Wofford; Al Bagnoli, Columbia; Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State; Rod Broadway, North Carolina A&T; Kevin Callahan, Monmouth; Dave Cecchini, Valparaiso; Curt Cignetti, Elon; Charlie Fisher, Western Illinois; John Grass, Jacksonville State; Will Healy, Austin Peay; Mike Houston, James Madison; Dan Hunt, Colgate; Chris Klieman, North Dakota State; Mike London, Howard; Fred McNair, Alcorn State; Tim Rebowe, Nicholls; Pete Rossomando, Central Connecticut State; Demario Warren, Southern Utah