Two SoCon players named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List

Via Furman Athletics

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Furman freshman quarterback Trey Hedden has been added to the 2024 Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award Watch List, it was announced today.

The award, which honors the FCS freshman player of the year in college football’s Division I subdivision, now in its 14th season, is named after legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice.

Hedden, a 6-foot-3, 231-pound true freshman from Tampa, Fla. and product of Tampa Catholic High School, has made starts in Furman’s last five games and passed for 1,269 yards (100x164) and nine touchdowns while rushing for another score.

He was named Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week and Stats Perform National Freshman of the Week after completing 20-of-27 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-7 win over Stetson on Sept. 14.  Two weeks later he engineered a pair of fourth quarter touchdown drives that helped Furman overcome a 16-3 deficit to claim a 17-16 road victory over The Citadel.

Via Wofford Athletics

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A standout list of 30 players have been named to the in-season watch list of the Stats Perform 2024 Jerry Rice Award, which honors the FCS freshman player of the year in college football’s Division I subdivision. Wofford defensive back C.J. Coombes is one of the 30 players to earn a spot on the watch list.

Coombes, a second-year freshman from Bellefonte, Delaware, is second on the team in total tackles with 51. Among the SoCon leaders he is ninth in total tackles and he is ranked 12^th in the nation in solo tackles. Against William & Mary he led the Terriers in tackles with 13 and in the fourth quarter he recovered a fumble. He was named the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week following that contest. 

Stats Perform Release

The Rice Award, now in its 14th season, is named after legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice. Past recipients include Cooper Kupp, Chase Edmonds, Trey Lance, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. To be eligible for the Jerry Rice Award, a player must be considered a freshman by his conference in his first academic year or second if he did not surpass four regular-season games played in the true freshman season (the NCAA redshirt rule). More players can join the watch list before a national media panel selects the winner following the regular season.

The 2024 Jerry Rice Award recipient will be announced on Dec. 4 and honored at the Stats Perform National Awards Banquet on Jan. 4 in Frisco, Texas. Other awards at the banquet are the Walter Payton Award (FCS Offensive Player of the Year), Buck Buchanan Award (FCS Defensive Player of the Year), Eddie Robinson Award (FCS Coach of the Year), Urban Edge Network HBCU+ Player of the Year and FedEx Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year.