We have reached the middle of the 2019 FCS football season. Talk is starting to heat up about who the front-runners are for the four major awards.
Those major awards, presented by STATS FCS, are the Walter Payton Award (best offensive player), Buck Buchanan Award (best defensive player), Jerry Rice Award (best freshman) and Eddie Robinson Award (best coach).
Our FCS staff put together a list of candidates who currently deserve to be in the discussion for those awards. Check out the candidates below for the Walter Payton Award and let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll.
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FAN VOTES: Walter Payton | Buck Buchanan | Jerry Rice
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Eric Barriere, QB, Eastern Washington
The junior playmaker ranks third in the FCS with 2,239 yards passing (161 completions on 270 attempts) and his 20 touchdown passes are tied for second while keeping his interceptions down to four. He's also extremely dangerous with his feet, rushing for 214 yards and five touchdowns. Barriere's 150 points responsible for is second in the FCS.
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Devin Wynn, RB, Furman
Wynn leads an explosive Furman offense with his 639 carries and five touchdowns off of 76 attempts. He's a big-play threat when the ball is in his hands as the junior's 8.4 yards per rush is fourth in the FCS.
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Bailey Zappe, QB, Houston Baptist
Zappe, a junior, has helped lead a much-improved Houston Baptist team. He's completed 234 of his 334 pass attempts for 2,474 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Zappe's passing yards and touchdowns are the most in the FCS.
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James Robinson, RB, Illinois State
Robinson is a top NFL prospect in the FCS and is showing why this season. He's tied for seventh in the FCS with 676 yards rushing and Robinson's nine touchdown runs is tied for sixth.
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Josh Pearson, WR, Jacksonville State
Another NFL prospect as the big target has caught 38 passes for 595 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those 11 TD grabs rank No. 1 in the FCS.
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Dalton Sneed, QB, Montana
The senior signal-caller is lighting it up for the red-hot Grizzlies. Sneed is fourth in the FCS with 346.3 yards of total offense per game. He's thrown for 1,879 yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions on 159-234 passing. Sneed has also added 199 yards and five scores on the ground.
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Jah-Maine Martin, RB, North Carolina A&T
Martin has stepped up his game for the team to beat in the HBCUs. The junior is second in the FCS in both rushing yards (742) and touchdowns (11). And he's done it on just 80 carries, making his 9.28 yards per attempt the best in the subdivision.
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Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
Lance is just a redshirt freshman and is replacing the all-time wins leader in FCS history and a fifth-round NFL Draft pick in Easton Stick. And there's been no dropoff in play. His 200.20 passing efficiency is the best in the FCS. He is completing 74 of 105 passes for 1,032 yards, 15 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Lance adds 408 yards rushing and six TDs.
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Case Cookus, QB, Northern Arizona
Cookus, a senior, is back to lighting up defenses after battling injuries. His 2,075 yards passing (135-236) is fifth in the FCS while having an 18-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Those 18 TDs are tied for eighth in the subdivision.
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Aaron Parker, WR, Rhode Island
Parker is getting NFL interest and is a tough matchup for DBs with his size. His 746 receiving yards off of 47 catches is second in the FCS. He's hauled in six touchdown receptions, which is tied for fifth in the country.
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Reid Sinnett, QB, San Diego
The senior has waited patiently for his time to arrive and that has paid off. His 189.60 passing efficiency is second in the FCS while his 358.6 yards of total offense per game is first. Sinnett has gone 117-163 passing for 1,738 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions.
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Pierre Strong Jr., RB, South Dakota State
The smooth sophomore has built off of his electrifying finish to last year. Strong is fifth in the FCS with 8.27 yards per carry. He's totaled 612 yards rushing on 74 attempts to go with four touchdowns.
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Chris Rowland, WR, Tennessee State
Rowland, a senior, has looked unstoppable and sits atop FCS rankings by a wide margin. He already has 70 receptions in seven games for 1,021 yards, both easily No. 1 in the country. Five of those catches have gone for touchdowns.
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Jake Maier, QB, UC Davis
Maier continues to light it up in his senior season. He ranks second in the FCS with 2,243 yards through the air on 199-302 passing. Maier has thrown 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions. Those 18 TD passes are tied for the eighth-best in the subdivision.
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Justin Covington, RB, Villanova
The junior missed Nova's last game at James Madison, but Covington is still third in the FCS with 727 yards rushing on 90 attempts. He's found the end zone three times.
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Alex Ramsey, RB, VMI
Ramsey has been an absolute workhorse for a much-improved VMI team. The junior has 158 rushes for 810 yards. His yards and 15 rushing touchdowns rank No. 1 in the FCS.
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Voting ends at 3 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 18.
Who is the 2019 midseason Walter Payton Award favorite?
