Here are all of the 2025 FCS award finalists

Stats Perform has announced all of its finalists for the top awards in FCS football. Here's a look a the finalists named for the Walter Payton Award, Buck Buchanan Award, Jerry Rice Award and Eddie Robinson Award.

Walter Payton Award

The Walter Payton Award recognizes the most outstanding offensive player in FCS football, a.k.a the offensive player of the year. Here are the 30 players named finalists in 2025.

Update: Quarterbacks Beau Brungard (Youngstown State), Taron Dickens (Western Carolina) and Cole Payton (North Dakota State) were named the top-three finalists for the 2025 Payton Award. 

Quarterbacks

• Keali'l Ah Yat, Montana
• Braden Atkinson, Mercer
• Andrew Body, Alabama State
• Beau Brungard, Youngstown State
• Jaden Craig, Harvard
• Taron Dickens, Western Carolina
• Devin Farrell, Rhode Island
• Victor Gabalis, Tarleton State
• Walker Harris, North Carolina Central
• Collin Hurst, Presbyterian
• Justin Lamson, Montana State
• Eddie Lee Marburger, UT Rio Grande Valley
• Chris Parson, Austin Peay
• Cole Payton, North Dakota State
• Kekoa Visperas, Tennessee Tech
• DJ Williams, Southern Illinois

Running backs

• Joshua Dye, Southern Utah
• Kente Edwards, Lafayette
• Marquis Gillis, Delaware State
• Rodney Hammond Jr., Sacramento State
• Elijah Howard, Central Connecticut State
• Rodney Nelson, Monmouth
• L.J. Phillips Jr., South Dakota
• Josh Pitsenberger, Yale
• Luke Yoder, Lehigh

Wide receivers

• Marquis Buchanan, Rhode Island
• Joey Isabella, Duquesne
• Bryce Lance, North Dakota State
• Jared Richardson, Penn
• Michael Wortham, Montana

HISTORY: Walter Payton Award history 

Buck Buchanan Award

The Buck Buchanan Award recognizes the most outstanding offensive player in FCS football, a.k.a the defensive player of the year. Here are the 30 players named finalists in 2025.

Update: Linebacker James Conway (Fordham) and Defensive Ends Joshua Stoneking (Furman) and Andrew Zock (Mercer) were named the top-three finalists for the 2025 Buchanana Award. 

Defensive linemen

• Lando Brown, Southern Utah
• David Hoage, West Georgia
• Robert Holz, Gardner-Webb
• Quincy Ivory, Jackson State
• Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana
• Jacob Psyk, UC Davis
• Joshua Stoneking, Furman
• Andrew Zock, Mercer

Linebackers

• Sean Allison, Drake
• Luke Banbury, William & Mary
• James Conway, Fordham
• Theron Gaines, Tennessee Tech
• Shane Hartzell, Villanova
• Erick Hunter, Morgan State
• Logan Kopp, North Dakota State
• Rashon Myles Jr., Abilene Christian
• Tye Niekamp, Illinois State
• Tyler Ochojski, Lehigh
• A.J. Pena, Rhode Island
• Jaydon Southard, Stephen F. Austin
• Jack Stoll, Central Connecticut State

Defensive backs

• Ty Bartrum, Harvard
• Kimal Clark, Indiana State
• Caden Dowler, Montana State
• Jalen Jones, William & Mary
• Abu Kamara, Yale
• Kasyus Kurns, Tarleton State
• Maximus Pulley, Wofford
• Nate Robinson Jr., Marist
• Jarod Washington, South Carolina State

HISTORY: Buck Buchanan Award history

Jerry Rice Award

The Jerry Rice Award recognizes the most outstanding freshman in FCS football, a.k.a the rookie of the year. Here are the 25 players named finalists in 2025.

Quarterbacks

• Braden Atkinson, Mercer
• Landen Clark, Elon
• EJ Colson, UIW
• Andrew Indorf, Towson
• Raymond Moore III, Morgan State
• Caden Pinnick, UC Davis

Running backs

• Chase Bingmon, Prairie View A&M
• Xai’Shaun Edwards, Houston Christian
• Nick Herman, Drake
• Tre Page III, Tarleton State
• Mitchell Summers, Sacred Heart

Wide receivers

• Rico Bond, Lindenwood
• Jaqai Carter, Robert Morris
• Rashawn Cunningham, Charleston Southern
• Brooks Davis, Montana
• Tony Diaz, UT Rio Grande Valley
• Matt Fogler, Colgate
• Evan James, Furman
• Josh Robinson, Princeton

Defensive line

• Lamont Lester Jr., Monmouth

Linebackers

• Jaiden Haygood, UT Rio Grande Valley
• Montreze Smith Jr., Austin Peay

Defensive backs

• Chase Hatton, Marist
• Darius Malcolm Jr., Wofford
• Nic Yatsko, Indiana State

HISTORY:  Jerry Rice Award history

Eddie Robinson Award

The Eddie Robinson Award recognizes the most outstanding coach in FCS football, a.k.a the coach of the year. Here are the 15 coaches named finalists in 2025.

• Andrew Aurich, Harvard
• Travis Bush, UT Rio Grande Valley
• Kevin Cahill, Lehigh
• Colby Carthel, Stephen F. Austin
• Steve Englehart, Presbyterian
• Jim Fleming, Rhode Island
• Bobby Hauck, Montana
• DeSean Jackson, Delaware State
• Tremaine Jackson, Prairie View A&M
• Mike Jacobs, Mercer
• Adam Lechtenberg, Central Connecticut State
• Tim Polasek, North Dakota State
• Joel Taylor, West Georgia
• Todd Whitten, Tarleton State
• Bobby Wilder, Tennessee Tech