Draft Insiders' Digest Premier NFL Draft and Free Agency Publication
Walter Payton & Buck Buchanan '08 Award Lists
Photo - QB Liam Coen - Massachusetts
QB Liam Coen - Massachusetts Heads the Walter Payton '08 Award list
QB Liam Coen of Massachusetts heads the Walter Payton Award list for the 2008 season. Coen is the UMass team Captain and All-American who started his fourth season this weekend. He has been a decorated QB who led UMass to the National Championship game as a sophomore and holds nearly every UMass QB passing record for a game, season and career. He combines fine size, arm strength with great play-action ability and nice mobility in the pocket to be one of the more efficient QBs in college football. Over his long starting career, he has compiled a 29-8 in his 37 starts dating to 2005 with a 29-5 record vs. FCS teams. In the UMass '08 season opener on Aug. 30th, he went 10 of 20 passes for 92 yards and 3 TDs in leading UMass to a 28-16 opening victory over Albany (N.Y.).
The Payton and Buchanan awards will undergo two revisions, one in October and one in November, before ballots are sent out to a panel of sports information directors, broadcasters and writers in late November. The awards banquet will be held Dec. 18 in Chattanooga, Tn., on the eve of the FCS national championship game. The Eddie Robinson Award, which goes to the FCS national coach of the year will also be awarded that night. The Robinson Award ballot will be announced in November.
Georgia Southern quarterback Jayson Foster was the 2007 Payton Award winner, while Montana defensive end Kroy Biermann took home the Buchanan Award. Eight players from last year's Walter Payton Award ballot are among the 16 names on the 2008 Payton Award watch list. Receivers Ramses Barden of Cal Poly and Terrell Hudgins of Elon, QBs Liam Coen of Massachusetts and Dominic Randolph of Holy Cross and running backs Herb Donaldson of Western Illinois, Mike McLeod of Yale, Tyler Roehl of North Dakota St. and Jordan Scott of Colgate were the repeat selections. Eight other players joined them on the Payton watch list, QBs Nathan Brown of Central Arkansas, Armanti Edwards of Appalachian St, Rodney Landers of James Madison and Matt Nichols of Eastern Washington, receiver Andre Roberts of The Citadel and running backs Rashad Jennings of Liberty, Corey Lewis of Northern Iowa and Javarris Williams of Tennessee St. Roehl, who finished eighth last season, is the highest returning vote-getter on the watch list. McLeod was ninth, Hudgins 11th, Randolph 12th, Donaldson 13th, Scott 14th, Barden 15th and Coen 16th last year. Nichols was 17th as a write-in candidate.
Linebacker Bobby Daly of Montana St and free safety Lardarius Webb of Nicholls St head up the 16 candidates named to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list, also released on Friday. Daly, who finished sixth in the 2007 Buchanan Award voting, and Webb, who placed 10th, are the only players from last year's ballot on the Buchanan list. Eight other linebackers joined Daly among the candidates, Bobby Abare of Yale, Pierre Banks of Appalachian St, Mario Brown of Gardner-Webb, Zach East of Prairie View, Cyrus Mulitalo of Sacramento St, Andy Romans of Lafayette, Andy Schantz of Portland St. and Jason Williams of Western Illinois. Other players selected included strong safety Colt Anderson of Montana, defensive ends Jovan Belcher of Maine, Greg Peach of Eastern Washington and Pierre Walters of Eastern Illinois, defensive tackle John Faletoese of UC Davis and free safety Terrell Whitehead of Norfolk St.
Walter Payton Award Watch List
Ramses Barden, WR, Cal Poly, 6-5, 230, Senior
Nathan Brown, QB, Central Arkansas, 6-2, 209, Senior
Liam Coen, QB, Massachusetts, 6-2, 220, Senior
Herb Donaldson, RB, Western Illinois, 5-11, 225, Senior
Armanti Edwards, QB, Appalachian State, 6-0, 185, Junior
Terrell Hudgins, WR, Elon, 6-3, 235, Junior
Rashad Jennings, RB, Liberty, 6-1, 230, Senior
Rodney Landers, QB, James Madison, 6-1, 220, Senior
Corey Lewis, RB, Northern Iowa, 6-0, 197, Senior
Mike McLeod, RB, Yale, 5-11, 200, Senior
Matt Nichols, QB, Eastern Washington, 6-2, 220, Junior
Dominic Randolph, QB, Holy Cross, 6-3, 223, Senior
Andre Roberts, WR, The Citadel, 5-11, 175
Tyler Roehl, RB, North Dakota State, 5-10, 232, Senior
Jordan Scott, RB, Colgate, 5-11, 205, Senior
Javarris Williams, RB, Tennessee State, 5-11, 215, Senior
Buck Buchanan Award Watch List
Bobby Abare, LB, Yale, 6-2, 210, Senior
Colt Anderson, SS, Montana, 5-11, 185, Senior
Pierre Banks, LB, Appalachian State, 6-0, 210, Senior
Jovan Belcher, DE, Maine, 6-2, 228, Senior
Mario Brown, LB, Gardner-Webb, 6-2, 230, Senior
Bobby Daly, LB, Montana State, 6-1, 226, Senior
Zach East, LB, Prairie View, 6-2, 230, Senior
John Faltoese, DT, UC Davis, 6-3, 290, Senior
Cyrus Mulitalo, LB, Sacramento State, 6-1, 245, Senior
Greg Peach, DE, Eastern Washington, 6-3, 255, Senior
Andy Romans, LB, Lafayette, 5-11, 215, Senior
Andy Schantz, LB, Portland State, 6-1, 235, Senior
Pierre Walters, DE, Eastern Illinois, 6-5, 261, Senior
Lardarius Webb, FS, Nicholls State, 5-11, 180, Senior
Jason Williams, LB, Western Illinois, 6-3, 235, Junior
Terrell Whitehead, Norfolk State, 6-2, 200, Junior