Montana running back Eli Gillman won the 2023 Jerry Rice Award, presented by Stats Perform and awarded to the best FCS freshman.
Gillman, a redshirt freshman, has rushed 165 times for 899 yards and 10 touchdowns, helping Montana to its first Big Sky championship since 2009 and the No. 2 playoff seed.
Gillman will be honored at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas.
A 56-member panel voted on the award.
2023 Jerry Rice Award Voting Results
A first-place vote was worth five points, a second-place vote four points, a third-place vote three points, a fourth-place vote two points, and a fifth-place vote one point. The final number is the combined point total.
1. Eli Gillman, RB, Montana: 31-6-6-2-2-203
2. MJ Flowers, RB, Eastern Illinois: 6-11-6-10-7-119
3. Jawarn Howell, RB, South Carolina State: 6-6-2-10-1-81
4. Tye Niekamp, LB, Illinois State: 3-6-8-3-6-75
5. Griffin Woodell, RB, UAlbany: 3-4-8-5-2-67
6. Conner Moore, LT, Montana State: 2-3-6-6-6-58
7. Jaylen King, QB, Gardner-Webb, QB: 2-6-4-3-5-57
8. Carter Glassmyer, LB, Saint Francis: 0-5-4-6-9-53
9. Beau Sparks, WR, Utah Tech: 1-3-4-3-7-42
10. VJ Wilkins, WR, Campbell: 0-3-1-0-1-16
11.(tie) Hunter Green, PK/P, Northern Colorado: 0-0-2-2-4-14
11.(tie) Malachi Hosley, RB, Penn: 0-3-0-1-0-14
13. Jaylon Joseph, DE, Lafayette: 0-0-3-1-2-13
14. Anthony Johnson, WR, Stony Brook: 1-0-1-1-1-11
15.(tie) Dom Nankil, QB, San Diego: 1-0-0-0-1-6
15.(tie) Ty’Jarian Williams, QB, Mississippi Valley State: 0-0-1-1-1-6
17. Owen Zalc, PK, Dartmouth: 0-0-0-1-1-3
18. Brendan Jenkins, WR, Samford: 0-0-0-1-0-2
19.(tie) Gavin Lochow, WR, Dayton: 0-0-0-0-0-0
19.(tie) Rasheed Lovelace, DT, Nicholls: 0-0-0-0-0-0
19.(tie) Aaron Sears, CB, Stephen F. Austin: 0-0-0-0-0-0
19.(tie) Luke Yoder, RB, Lehigh: 0-0-0-0-0-0
