CLINTON, S.C. – Originally on the watch list for the 2024 Jerry Rice Award last month, an honor given to "the most outstanding freshman player in the Football Championship Subdivision", quarterback
Collin Hurst of the Presbyterian College football team has advanced to the next stage and has been named a finalist for the esteemed honor.
Hurst is one of five freshmen QB's in the nation – and one of two players in the Pioneer Football League – to be selected as a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, presented by Stats Perform and FedEx Ground.
This comes after a sensational season where he led the Blue Hose to their first six-win trek in a decade and capped off the year with a 30-27 triumph over #23 Butler, the program's first win against a ranked foe since 2014.
Featured in every game while starting 10 times, Hurst passed for 2,382 yards during his first year with PC and totaled 22 touchdowns (17 passing, five rushing). He completed 66 percent of his attempts while averaging 198 passing yards per game.
Presbyterian goes into the offseason with their first four-game winning streak since 2007 (their debut year as a Division I program), going undefeated in the month of November for the first time since 2002.
JERRY RICE AWARD BACKGROUND
Created in 2011 and named after legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice – who attended Mississippi Valley State University – the award is voted on by a national panel of more than 40 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers, and other various dignitaries.
Final voting for the award is conducted prior to the start of the FCS Playoffs, with the winner revealed on December 4. The recipient of the award will be honored at the Stats Perform National Banquet on January 4 in Frisco, Texas.
Other notable past honorees include future NFL stars Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington, 2013), Trey Lance (North Dakota State, 2019), current Heisman contender Cam Ward of the Miami Hurricanes (then at Incarnate Word in 2020), and starting QB for the Colorado Buffaloes, Shedeur Sanders (then at Jackson State in 2021).
Jerry Rice was a National Football League phenomenon with the San Francisco 49ers and three other franchises, often regarded as the greatest wide receiver in the sport's history.
Rice earned 13 NFL Pro Bowl trips, 10 first-team All-Pro's, three Super Bowl championships, and a Super Bowl MVP trophy amongst other accolades.
The 1985 first-round pick began his journey at Mississippi Valley State from 1981-84.
At the collegiate stage, he earned All-America plaudits twice while setting records for receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Rice is a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio and the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
NATIONAL AWARDS PRESENTATION
Stats Perform release five national awards at the end of each calendar:
- Walter Payton Award (FCS Offensive Player of the Year)
- Buck Buchanan Award (FCS Defensive Player of the Year)
- Jerry Rice Award (FCS Freshman of the Year)
- Eddie Robinson Award (FCS Coach of the Year)
- Dori Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year
IT HURSTS SO GOOD
Backed by a QB rating of 154, Hurst's debut season in a Blue Hose uniform was grandiose. His 2,382 passing yards and 187 completions both rank second of all PC players since the school made the transition to Division I.
He is responsible for the longest passing play from scrimmage in Presbyterian history – a 94-yard touchdown to
Dominic Kibby during a 28-point thrashing over Stetson – surpassing 250 passing yards thrice.
Hurst threw at least one touchdown pass in 10 out of 12 games this semester, including a season-best four TD's in a 42-23 victory at Marist which granted him the PFL's Offensive Player of the Week accolade.
The Florida native threw for a season-high 358 yards in a visit to Davidson back in September, completing at least 20 passes against four different opponents.
MISTAKE-FREE
Hurts wraps up the 2024 season with zero turnovers to his name over the final five matchups. He last threw an interception on October 12, not throwing a single INT over his last 135 attempts.
His 66 percent completion rate is the third-highest of any Presbyterian quarterback in the past 17 years, finding his target 73 percent of the time throughout the season-ending four-game winning streak (73-for-100).
The rookie completed 80 percent of his passes in back-to-back beatdowns over Dayton and Marist, hitting 43 of his 54 tries in those eight quarters.
FCS Jerry Rice Award Finalists (November 25, 2024)
OFFENSE
David Avit (RB, Villanova)
CharMar Brown (RB, North Dakota State)
Matt Childs (RB, Brown)
Jason Collins (RB, Morgan State)
Carson Conklin (QB, Sacramento State)
Taron Dickens (QB, Western Carolina)
Jaden Green (RB, Lehigh)
Steve Hall (RB, Lindenwood)
Mark Hamper (WR, Idaho)
Malachi Henry (WR, Central Arkansas)
Collin Hurst (QB, Presbyterian)
Adam Jones (RB, Montana State)
Elijah Owens (QB, Indiana State)
Travis Terrell (RB, Jackson State)
Tariq Thomas (RB, Bucknell)
Drew VanVleet (QB, Dayton)
DEFENSE
Josh Anglin (LB, North Alabama)
Charles Battaglia (LB, Stonehill)
C.J. Coombes (S, Wofford)
Sanders Ellis (LB, Tennessee State)
Derek Ganter (S, Eastern Washington)
Christopher Jean (CB, Central Connecticut State)
Matthew Traynor (LB, Richmond)
Andrew Zock (DE, Mercer)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Finn Lappin (P, McNeese)
FCS Jerry Rice Award Winners (2011-2023)
2023 – Eli Gillman (RB, Montana)
2022 – Gevani McCoy (QB, Idaho)
2021 – Shedeur Sanders (QB, Jackson State)
2020 – Cam Ward (QB, Incarnate Word)
2019 – Trey Lance (QB, North Dakota State)
2018 – Josh Davis (RB, Weber State)
2017 – Bryson Armstrong (LB, Kennesaw State)
2016 – A.J. Hines (RB, Duquesne)
2015 – Case Cookus (QB, Northern Arizona)
2014 – Chase Edmonds (RB, Fordham)
2013 – Cooper Kupp (WR, Eastern Washington)
2012 – John Robertson (QB, Villanova)
2011 – Terrance West (RB, Towson)
