CHICAGO – Stats Perform announced the finalists for the four FCS legacy awards Monday, with seven Southern Conference student-athletes and one coach among the nominees for the national awards. League champion VMI led the way with four of the league’s eight finalists, one for each award, while Samford had two finalists.

The SoCon led all conferences with three finalists for the Walter Payton Award. ETSU’s Quay Holmes, Samford’s Liam Welch and VMI’s Jakob Herres were among the 16 nominees for the FCS offensive player of the year award.

Samford’s Chris Edmonds and VMI’s Stone Snyder were named finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, which honors the FCS defensive player of the year, while Mercer’s Isaac Dowling and VMI’s Seth Morgan are finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, which honors the FCS freshman of the year.

Scott Wachenheim, who led VMI to its first SoCon title since 1977, is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, which honors the FCS coach of the year.

The four award recipients plus the Stats Perform FCS Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be announced next month – the Rice on May 3, the Eddie Robinson on May 4, the Doris Robinson on May 5 and both the Payton and Buchanan on May 15.

A 40-member national media panel will select the winners from the unprecedented 2020-21 season, which has spanned the fall and spring semesters.

For Stats Perform’s Walter Payton Award release, click here. For the Buck Buchanan Award release, click here; for the Jerry Rice Award release, click here; and for the Eddie Robinson Award release, click here.