On Monday, 16 finalists were announced for the Stats Perform FCS Jerry Rice Award. This award is presented to the national freshman player of the year in the FCS Spring Football season. This year will be the 10th time the award has been given out. The Jerry Rice Award winner will be announced on May 3rd.
A 40-member national media panel will select the winner of the award. Past winners include current Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, who is projected to go in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Check out the finalists below!
Jerry Rice Award Finalists | FCS Football
| Name, Position | School | Stats |
| Bronson Barron, QB | Weber State | 56/101 for 847 Yards, 6 TDs, 0 INT |
| Quinton “Pig” Cage, DB | Nicholls State | 30 Tackles, 11 TFL, 2.5 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 INT, 2 Passes Defended, 3 QB-Hits |
| Isaac Dowling, LB | Southern | 90 Tackles, 8.5 TFL, 6.5 Sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles, 2 QB-Hits, 3 Passes Defended |
| Draylen Ellis, QB | Austin Peay | 104/201 for 1,270 Yards, 14 TDs, 4 INT, 2 Rushing TDs |
| Ty French, DE | Gardner-Webb | 34 Tackles, 8 TFL, 4 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Fumble Recovery, 9 QB-Hits, 1 Pass Defended, 1 Blocked Kick |
| Mark Gronowski, QB | South Dakota State | 76/133 for 1,051 Yards, 8 TDs, 3 INT, 383 Rushing Yards, 6 Rushing TDs |
| Billy Lucas, RB | Duquesne | 66 Carries for 297 Yards, Two TDs |
| Seth Morgan, QB | VMI | 92/121 for 1,088 Yards, 8 TDs, 1 INT, 198 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TDs |
| Tony Muskett, QB | Monmouth | 51/82 for 742 Yards, 8 TDs, 0 INT |
| Ryan Nettles, QB | Alabama State | 84/144 for 917 Yards, 8 TDs, 5 INTs, 110 Rush Yards, 1 Rushing TD |
| Tommy Schuster, QB | North Dakota | 100/153 for 992 Yards, 8 TDs, 3 INTs |
| Matthew Sluka, QB | Holy Cross | 10/14 for 111 Yards and 2 TDs, 1 INT, 212 Rushing Yards, 4 Rushing TDs |
| Devon Starling, RB | Tennessee State | 124 Carries for 647 Yards, 3 TDs |
| Keyon Turner, CB | Valparaiso | 25 Tackles, 2 TFL, 4 INTs, 2 Passes Defended, 2 Fumble Recoveries, 1 QB-Hit |
| Jared Verse, DE | Albany | 22 Tackles, 10 TFL, 4 Sacks, 1 QB-Hit, 1 Blocked Kick |
| Cameron Ward, QB | Incarnate Word | 183/303 for 2,260 Yards, 24 TDs, 4 INTs, 2 Rushing TDs |
Other FCS Football Awards Given Out
Walter Payton Award: Given to the best offensive player during the 2021 FCS Spring Football season.
Buck Buchanan Award: Given to the best defensive player during the 2021 FCS Spring Football season.
Eddie Robinson Award: Coach of the Year award in the FCS.
Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year: This Award will be given out for the fifth time to an FCS football student-athlete who excels not only on the field and in the classroom, but the community as well.
