CHICAGO South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski is one of three players invited to the announcement of the 2023 Walter Payton Award, which honors the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football and is presented by FedEx Ground.
Quarterback Max Brosmer of New Hampshire and running back Jaden Shirden of Monmouth were also to attend the award presentation, which will be part of the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas the eve of the national championship game. The trio of standout players were among 30 finalists for the 37th annual Payton, which is named for legendary running back Walter Payton, who starred at Jackson State as part of his Hall of Fame career. The winner is selected by a national voting panel and is based on regular season play.
Gronowski, from Naperville, Illinois, has helped South Dakota State maintain the No. 1 ranking following its 2022 national championship season, and was the co-offensive player of the year in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. While leading the FCS in pass efficiency (184.1) during the regular season, the 6-3, 225-pound junior passed for 2,359 yards and 23 touchdowns against three interceptions, rushing for seven more scores.
Brosmer, from Roswell, Georgia, was selected as the CAA Football first-team quarterback after ranking No. 1 in the FCS in passing yards (3,464), passing yards per game (314.9) and total offensive yards per game (326.4), and No. 2 in touchdown passes (29). The 6-foot-2, 221-pound senior was 294 of 459 (64.1 percent), including 30 or more completions to six different receivers the most in the FCS with only nine interceptions.
Shirden, from West Haven, Connecticut, repeated as CAA offensive player of the year after leading the FCS in rushing yards (1,478) and per-game average (134.4) for the second consecutive season. Four of the 5-9, 195-pound juniors 10 touchdown runs went for over 60 yards, and he added one more score on his 20 receptions. He also was invited to the 2022 national banquet, finishing third in the Payton voting.
The Walter Payton Award, first presented in 1987, has a distinguished history of recipients, including Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo, Cooper Kupp and Trey Lance.
Like the Payton Award, the winners of 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) and FedEx Ground Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award will be honored at the national awards banquet.
South Dakota State running back Isaiah Davis finished seventh in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award after receiving six first-place votes.
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