September has passed, and some FCS teams played as many as five games during the first stretch of the season. So if the season ended today, who would the fans vote for in the FCS level's top four awards — Walter Payton Award (top offensive player), Buck Buchanan Award (top defensive player), Jerry Rice Award (top freshman) and the Eddie Robinson Award (best coaching job). Here, we highlight the Walter Payton Award vote.
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Our FCS staff put together a list of 10 early candidates who currently deserve to be in the discussion for the best offensive player in the FCS. Check out the candidates below and let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll.
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THE NOMINEES
| WALTER PAYTON AWARD (Offense) | STATS |
| RB Dawonya Tucker, PV A&M, Jr. | National rush leader – 795 yds |
| RB Ryan Fulse, Wagner, Sr. | 2nd in nation – 732 yds, 6 TDs |
| RB Marquis Terry, SEMO, Sr. |
4th in nation – 648 yds, 6 TDs – leads nation |
|
QB Chandler Burks, Kenn. St., Sr. |
QB leads nation in TDs scored, any position – 10 |
|
WR Bryce Nunnelly, Chattanooga, Soph. |
Leads nation in receiving – 721 yds, 5 TDs |
| WR Alexander Hollins, East. Illinois, Sr. | Leads nation in REC TDs – 9 … 601 yds |
| QB Devlin Hodges, Samford, Sr. |
Leads nation in passing – 1,639 yds, 12 TDs |
| QB Gage Gubrud, East. Wash., Sr. | 2016 finalist – 1,416 pass, 13 TDs, 135 rush |
| WR Kelvin McKnight, Samford, Sr. | Leads nation in receptions – 46 .. 590 yds, 5 TDs |
| QB Tom Flacco, Towson, Jr. | Team leader, rushing (289 yards, 2 TDs), passing (1,163 yards, 10 TDs) |
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THE OTHER FAN VOTES
The Walter Payton Award (Vote Here!)
The Buck Buchanan Award (Vote Here!)
The Jerry Rice Award (Vote Here!)
The Eddie Robinson Award (Vote Here)
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THE MEDIA VOTE
The Walter Payton Award (Media)
The Buck Buchanan Award (Media)
The Eddie Robinson Award (Media)
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Who’s your favorite for the Walter Payton Award?
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