The leading rusher and two of the more efficient quarterbacks in FCS college football have been invited to the announcement of the 2024 Walter Payton Award, which will be presented to the national offensive player of the year.   Cam Miller, the 2024 MVFC Offensive Player of the Year, was the top MVFC vote getter of the three MVFC finalists.
 
The 38th annual Payton Award is down from 35 finalists across 13 FCS conferences to Southern Utah running back Targhee Lambson and quarterbacks Tommy Mellott of Montana State and Cam Miller of North Dakota State. The recipient, selected after the regular season by a national voting panel, will be announced at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet on Jan. 4 in Frisco, Texas.
 
Miller, a 6-1, 213-pound senior from Solon, Iowa, earned top offensive honors in the Missouri Valley Football Conference following North Dakota State’s 10-2 regular season. He’s No. 1 in the FCS in passer rating (179.9) and ranks No. 2 in completion percentage (74.2), going 190 of 256 for 2,340 yards, 23 touchdowns and one interception. He’s rushed for 370 yards and seven TDs.
 
The Walter Payton Award, affectionately known as the Heisman of the FCS, is named for legendary running back Walter Payton, who starred at Jackson State as part of his Hall of Fame career. Past recipients include Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo, Cooper Kupp and Trey Lance.  In addition to the Walter Payton Award, the Buck Buchanan Award (FCS Defensive Player of the Year), Jerry Rice Award (FCS Freshman Player of the Year), Eddie Robinson Award (FCS Coach of the Year), Urban Edge Network HBCU+ National Player of the Year and FedEx Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be presented at the Stats Perform awards banquet.
 
2024 Walter Payton Award Voting
 
Following is a breakdown of the voting results (top three to be announced on Jan. 4). 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.
 
Targhee Lambson, RB, Southern Utah: Jan. 4, TBA
Tommy Mellott, QB, Montana State: Jan. 4, TBA
Cam Miller, QB, North Dakota State: Jan. 4, TBA
 
4. Zach Calzada, QB, UIW: 5-4-5-4-7-71
5. Lan Larison, RB, UC Davis: 5-4-5-4-2-66
6. Derek Robertson, QB, Monmouth: 2-4-5-6-8-61
7. Miles Hastings, QB, UC Davis: 3-4-3-5-2-52
8. Kayvon Britten, RB, Tarleton State: 1-2-1-5-7-33
9. Efton Chism III, WR, Eastern Washington: 1-1-1-6-6-30
10. Mark Gronowski, QB, South Dakota State: 2-1-2-1-0-22
11. Maverick McIvor, QB, Abilene Christian: 0-2-2-2-1-19
12. Paxton DeLaurent, QB, Southeast Missouri: 0-1-2-3-1-17
13. Eric Phoenix, QB, South Carolina State: 1-1-1-0-1-13
14. Jacob Clark, QB, Missouri State: 1-0-2-0-1-12
15. ShunDerrick Powell, RB, Central Arkansas: 0-1-1-1-0-9
16. Dwayne McGee, RB, Mercer: 0-0-1-2-1-8
17. J’Mari Taylor, RB, North Carolina Central: 0-0-1-2-0-7
18. Charles Grant, OT, William & Mary: 0-1-0-0-2-6
19. Ralph Rucker IV, QB, Bucknell: 0-0-1-1-0-5
T20. Daniel Richardson, QB, Florida A&M: 0-1-0-0-0-4
T20. Jalen Walthall, WR, UIW: 0-0-0-0-4-4
22. Irv Mulligan, RB, Jackson State: 0-0-1-0-0-3
23. Elijah Howard, RB, Central Connecticut State: 0-0-0-1-0-2
T24. Hope Adebayo, RB, St. Thomas: 0-0-0-0-1-1
T24. Jamar Curtis, RB, Lafayette: 0-0-0-0-1-1
T24. Cole Gonzales, QB, Western Carolina: 0-0-0-0-1-1
T27. Mari Adams, RB, Davidson: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Jeff Caldwell, WR, Lindenwood: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Jaden Craig, QB, Harvard: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Jermaine Corbett, RB, Merrimack: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Roland Dempster, RB, Stony Brook: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Malachi Hosley, RB, Penn: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Antonio Martin Jr., RB, Southeastern Louisiana: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Sam Vidlak, QB, Stephen F. Austin: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Jameson Wang, QB, Cornell: 0-0-0-0-0-0