CHICAGO (Dec. 7, 2022) - After a sensational freshman season at quarterback for the Idaho Vandals, Gevani McCoy was named the 2022 Jerry Rice Award recipient by FCS Stats Perform on Wednesday. The award honors the top freshman player of the year in the FCS.
Idaho QB Gevani McCoy Wins 2022 Jerry Rice Award | The Analyst
McCoy Named 2022 Jerry Rice Award Winner | Idaho Athletics
McCoy's win on Wednesday marks the Big Sky's fourth Jerry Rice Award winner since it first began in 2011. McCoy joins Weber State's Josh Davis in 2018, Northern Arizona's Case Cookus in 2015 and Eastern Washington's Cooper Kupp in 2013 as the league's all-time winners for the national freshman player of the year award.
McCoy, who led Idaho to its first FCS Playoff appearance since 1995, guided the Vandals to a 7-5 overall record and 6-2 mark in Big Sky play. The freshman quarterback threw for over 2,700 yards on 204-of-298 passing, while leading the Big Sky with his 27 touchdown passes. McCoy's 170.6 passer rating also led the Big Sky and ranked as the fifth-best in the FCS as well.
A 54-member panel voted on the 12th annual award – named after legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice, who starred at Mississippi Valley State as part of his Hall of Fame career – with UAlbany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger finishing second and Saint Francis wide receiver Makai Jackson third. McCoy will be honored at the FCS National Awards banquet on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.
Also at the national banquet, Stats Perform will present the Walter Payton Award (FCS offensive player of the year), Buck Buchanan Award (FCS defensive player of the year) and Eddie Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year), and FedEx Ground will present the Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The Big Sky had two other nominees for the Jerry Rice Award this season, with each finishing in the Top 10 for voting. Rex Connors of UC Davis placed fourth and Patrick Rohrbach of Montana finished tied for ninth after the pair's outstanding freshman campaigns.
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2022 Jerry Rice Award Voting Results
Following is a breakdown of the voting results. 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.
1. Gevani McCoy, QB, Idaho: 31-9-2-2-2-203
2. Reese Poffenbarger, QB, UAlbany: 9-6-10-7-5-118
3. Makai Jackson, WR, Saint Francis: 2-12-7-10-6-105
4. Rex Connors, DB, UC Davis: 5-4-13-7-5-99
5. Eric O'Neill, DL, LIU: 2-8-5-8-4-77
6. Desmond Reid, RB, Western Carolina: 0-5-2-7-1-41
7. Travis Hunter, WR/DB, Jackson State: 2-2-1-2-0-25
8. Jalen Jones, DB, William & Mary: 0-1-3-2-1-18
9.(tie) Patrick Rohrbach, P, Montana: 1-1-1-0-5-17
9.(tie) Sam Franklin, RB, UT Martin: 0-0-2-4-3-17
9.(tie) Wedner Cadet, DB, Georgetown: 2-1-0-0-3-17
12. Joshua Pitsenberger, RB, Yale: 0-3-0-0-0-12
13. Finn Claypool, DL, Drake: 0-1-0-1-5-11
14.(tie) Eli Ennis, LB, Nicholls: 0-1-1-1-1-10
14.(tie) Ryan Butler, RB, Princeton: 0-0-2-1-2-10
16. Brady Meitz, QB, Stetson: 0-0-2-0-1-7
17. Kohner Cullimore, LB, Southern Utah: 0-0-0-0-6-6
18.(tie) Mason Woods, LB, Towson: 0-0-1-0-1-4
18.(tie) Noah Walters, QB, North Alabama: 0-0-1-0-1-4
20. Jerrell Wimbley, RB, Stephen F. Austin: 0-0-1-0-0-3
21.(tie) Ismail Mahdi, RB, Houston Baptist: 0-0-0-1-0-2
21.(tie) Marquis Gillis, RB, Delaware State: 0-0-0-1-0-2
23.(tie) Adrian Maddox, DB, Alabama State: 0-0-0-0-1-1
23.(tie) Seth Anderson, WR, Charleston Southern: 0-0-0-0-1-1
25. Cade Chambers, QB, Indiana State: 0-0-0-0-0-0