Walter Payton Award Watch List Breakdown

The Sports Network announced its first watch list for the 2011 Walter Payton Award on Monday. The field of 20 will update throughout the season, but this first group covers most of the top Championship Subdivision talent. There are few glaring omissions, and really no perplexing inclusions.

This season’s field is the strongest in recent memory, yet features no clear-cut top choice like the two campaigns when Armanti Edwards won. Edwards’ successor, DeAndre Presley, seems an apparent choice. But Liberty’s Mike Brown just may out-duel Presley as the top dual-threat quarterback. Meanwhile there’s a bevy of talented rushers returning from breakout 2010 seasons.

And don’t forget the wide receivers. The FCS has produced two of the best receivers ever, Terrel Owens and Jerry Rice. Could guys like Brandon Kaufman and Chris Summers emerge as the newest batch of Sunday superstars?

FRONTRUNNERS

QB Mike Brown, Liberty

There’s nothing not to love about Mike Brown, the do-it-all Liberty quarterback who could just as easily be a Payton nominee at running back and wideout as at quarterback. His dual-threat abilities are unrivaled. Brown passed for 2956 yards, and rushed for another 854. Between air and ground, he scored 32 touchdowns. If there’s a player in this group comparable to Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, it’s Brown.

RB Nate Eachus, Colgate

Last season’s FCS rushing leader compensates for a lack of size (a generous 5-foot-10, 200 pounds) with some of the nastiness breakaway speed in the subdivision. Eachus also does a tremendous job reading holes, and as the obvious top option in the Raider offense, worked his way to nearly 1900 yards. It might be a struggle for him to carry the ball 317 again; that’s a tremendous load to put on one player. It’s even more difficult to average nearly 6 ypg getting so many carries. However, if either of those figures increase, he’ll make a legitimate push for the astounding 2000-yard mark.

RB DJ McNorton, North Dakota State

NDSU finished 2010 with a crescendo, winning two playoff games and nearly knocking off eventual champion Eastern Washington. DJ McNorton was a chief reason why, averaging 150 yards through the Bison’s playoff run. He’s a consummate dual-threat running back, taking on a heavy rushing load (1559 yards on 280 carries with 15 touchdowns) but also serving as one of NDSU’s top receiving targets (443 yards via 25 catches and four scores).

QB Bo Levi Mitchell, Eastern Washington

Leading a team to a national championship is a surefire way to garner national attention. Mitchell aired it out to the tune of 37 touchdowns, nearly a third of which came in the Eagles’ playoff run. He finished the campaign a hair shy of 3500 yards, a milestone he’s sure to bypass should his consistency improve.

QB DeAndre Presley, Appalachian State

The heir to two-time Payton Award winner Armanti Edwards’ throne wore the crown well. He was runner-up to last season’s Payton winner, Stephen F. Austin quarterback Jeremy Moses. Presley will put up big numbers for an ASU team almost certain to again compete for the national championship. The dynamic Presley can kill defenses with the pass (21 touchdowns, 61.3 percent completions, 2631 yards) and the rush (1039 yards, 13 touchdowns).

HOT PURSUERS

RB Eric Breitenstein, Wofford

This blog has professed it before, and reiterates that Eric Breitenstein’s exclusion from the final Payton candidate list last year was an egregious error. The powerful fullback serves more like a tailback in the Terrier offense. He’s virtually unstoppable at the goal line, as his nation-leading 22 rushing touchdowns prove.

QB Casey Brockman, Murray State

Murray State is among the SaturdayBlitz.com FCS Dark Horses to Watch, and Casey Brockman’s at the forefront. He’s a steady playmaker, as his 66.6 completion rating attests to. He is also surrounded by a talented lineup of players able to make big plays on any snap.

RB Jonathan Grimes, William & Mary

Arguably one of the best overall players in FCS, Jonathan Grimes was a frontrunner for last year’s award initially, but struggled through injuries and played in just eight games. A healthy Grimes does tremendous things, though. In his career, he has rushed for over 3100 yards and has scored 24 touchdowns. He has also demonstrated an ability to catch passes out of the backfield with 113 receptions to his credit.

WR Brandon Kaufman, Eastern Washington

One key to EWU’s championship run was Mitchell’s ability to spread the ball. Yet even with a top-notch group of receivers and NFL running back, Brandon Kaufman was the nation’s No. 4 receiver with 1214 yards. He also hauled in 15 of Mitchell’s touchdown scores.

Kaufman is a very-NFL ready player, standing 6-foot-5 and showing tremendous reliability. He’s the quintessential possession receiver a la Larry Fitzgerald.

QB Denarius McGhee, Montana State

There are two reasons why Denarius McGhee isn’t in the top tier. First is that despite winning last season’s Big Sky, MSU is still an afterthought to rival Montana. Second, in just his second collegiate season McGhee hasn’t had as much opportunity to generate buzz as some of the other candidates. He’s a player I absolute love watching, and believe he’ll put up insane numbers with a talented Bobcat corps surrounding him.

QB Josh McGregor, Jacksonville

The last Pioneer League player to finish as a Payton finalist was San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson. Johnson landed in the NFL, and JU head coach Kerwin Bell told me last fall he expects the same for McGregor. The Dolphin quarterback has learned well from his former All-American quarterback-turned-coach, last season pacing JU to a 10-1 finish via 32 touchdowns (and just seven INTs) and 3049 yards.

RB Andrew Pierce, Delaware

An under-recruited commodity out of high school, only Casey Keeler offered Andrew Pierce a D-I scholarship. The gamble paid off, as Pierce was instantly a top producer in the Blue Hens’ offense. He rushed for 1655 yards, and broke the century mark in each of his first four games. He totaled 14 touchdowns on the rush, and another three receiving. Those his yard total catching the ball wasn’t staggering (199), he did haul in 32 balls.

QB Tirrell Rennie, Northern Iowa

There are few dual threat quarterbacks as electric on the rush as UNI’s Tirrell Rennie. He finished No. 16 in the FCS with 1249 yards, 75 of which came against SFA as shown in the below clip.

Rennie was error prone, throwing more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (8). Should he remedy that, he’ll jump near the front of this line quickly.

WR Chris Summers, Liberty

Chris Summers may be the most NFL-ready prospect among this year’s FCS talent. He’s a long target for Mike Brown, standing 6-foot-4. He’s shown a knack for both possession work, catching a steady 14.2 yards per reception, which complements Brown’s explosiveness.

UPHILL CLIMBERS

QB BJ Coleman, Chattanooga

The local product has performed well at Chattanooga. He led an offense that finished No. 17 in the nation last year with 31.6 points per game, and individually accumulated nearly 3000 yards. Coleman will need to greatly improve his decision making though, having thrown for just a 56 percent completion clip.

RB Jamaine Cook, Youngstown State

The YSU sophomore Jamaine Cook burst onto the scene with 1276 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 116 yards per game were 13th best in the nation. Where Cook is at a disadvantage is the Penguins’ finished last season 3-8, and more unnerving on a six-game losing skid. His output fluctuated, one week struggling to reach 70 yards after surpassing 200 the game prior.

QB Thomas DeMarco, Old Dominion

Thomas DeMarco has routinely overcome odds. He played at a small high school, California’s Palm Desert. He had to go the JUCO route before getting a Div. I offer from a program just starting. He flourished in obscurity his first two seasons. Now, he must take on perhaps the most daunting conference slate in the FCS, the Colonial Athletic Association. He did show he could compete with CAA big boys last season though, having a solid game against William & Mary. He’s not a traditional dual threat QB, but can scramble when called to a la John Elway or Drew Tate.

RB Mike Mayhew, North Carolina A&T

It’s not often a player from a team that won just one game the season prior lands an honoree on a preseason watch list. That’s a testament to Mike Mayhew’s talents. Though NCAT struggled mightily, Mayhew found a way to rush for over 98 yards per game. That’s no small feat with opposing defenses routinely stacking the box against the rush.

QB Brad Sorensen, Southern Utah

Brad Sorensen put up impressive numbers in his sophomore campaign: he threw for nearly 3200 yards, but did so in far fewer attempts than Mitchell at EWU and with a superior completion percentage (nearly 67). He was also picked off just six times, while scoring 21. Sorensen is a solid, traditional dropback quarterback and could emerge as an NFL prospect by the 2013 Draft.

Working against him: SUU won’t join the Big Sky Conference until 2013, leaving it in the FCS purgatory that is the Great West. He also loses the services of supremely talented wideout Tysson Poots.

QB Casey Therriault, Jackson State

Casey Therriault’s journey of redemption from incarceration to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football was captured beautifully by Pat Forde. Therriault has turned things around since his 2007 arrest, last year throwing 31 touchdowns to just seven interceptions for the Tigers.

He certainly has a propensity of overcoming odds, so playing in the SWAC, where there is no chance for the NCAA Playoffs could be just another hurdle for the big armed talent.

OMISSIONS TO WATCH

RB Zach Bauman, Northern Arizona

An Arizona prep product who flew under the state’s two FBS programs’ radars, Zach Bauman is a little dynamo with deceptive power. His first collegiate season yielded 1049 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns, and was the No. 10 highest scoring player in all FCS. He should only improve, especially as an important piece to the NAU offense early in the campaign.

WR Joel Bradford, Chattanooga

Joel Bradford was a key contributor to one of the most potent offenses in all of FCS, hauling in nearly 1300 yards worth of receptions last year. What he lacks in size (170 pounds at 6-foot) he makes up for in speed and elusiveness. This blog compares him favorably to Oklahoma’s Ryan Sproles.

QB Aaron Corp, Richmond

The former USC quarterback and nationally heralded recruit had his UR debut cut short with an ACL tear. Aaron Corp is back and earning some NFL buzz. His presence should surely bolster a Spider offense that struggled mightily in ’10.

QB Ronnie Fouch, Indiana State

Playing for one of his coaches at Washington, Trent Miles, Ronnie Fouch flourished in ISU’s surprising 6-5 campaign. The Sycamores will be even more improved this season and could make a push for the Missouri Valley title. He had an impressive 4:1 touchdown:interception ratio (20:5) and grew progressively more steady as the Sycamore offense became less run-oriented.

WR Ryan Spadola, Lehigh

A good-sized receiver at 6-foor-3, 205 pounds and a sure-handed target, Ryan Spadola is probably the Patriot League’s second best offensive player behind Colgate’s Nate Eachus. Spadola, like Summers and Kaufman, is a dangerous red zone target and thus should continue to pile up touchdowns. He had nine a season ago.