We knocked it out of the park this season when it got here to the first-year FCS Nationwide Awards on Campus.
13 totally different schools throughout the FCS Nation acquired a particular go to from two-time Tremendous Bowl champion Gary Causes as he was joined by a member of our presenting companions FedEx Floor to make an in-person presentation to one of many 5 FedEx Floor nationwide participant or staff of the week awards recipients. 9 of the 13 faculties went on to play within the postseason.
Going coast-to-coast and to each U.S. time zone, Gary and our “FCS Delivered” manufacturing staff introduced you the very best of the FCS. Right here’s a glance again to all of the adventures we had in 2023.
Week 1: Morgan State Bears
FedEx Floor FCS Nationwide Workforce of the Week
The Morgan State Bears earned a nationally ranked upset and their first season-opening win since 2012 with a 17-10 triumph at No.18 Richmond. Jabriel Johnson’s 10-yard landing run with 6:27 left broke a 10-10 tie, and it was arrange one play earlier by defensive finish Noah Washington’s fumble restoration following linebacker Erick Hunter’s strip sack of Richmond’s Kyle Wickersham. The MEAC squad, which completed 4-7 in coach Damon Wilson’s first season final 12 months, restricted Richmond to 264 yards of offense, compelled 4 turnovers and had 5 sacks.
Week 2: Ricardo Chavez, Idaho
FedEx Floor Nationwide Particular Groups Participant of the Week
Ricardo Chavez, who kicks right-footed and punts left-footed, and each toes put a stamp on Idaho’s 33-6 win at Nevada, the Vandals’ first over an FBS opponent since returning to the Massive Sky Convention in 2018. He was 4 of 4 on area targets (lengthy of 43 yards) and three of three on PATs for 15 factors, the Week 2 excessive amongst FCS kickers. He punted twice, and the kicks went for 60 and 70 yards.
Week 3: Nic Baker, Southern Illinois
FedEx Floor FCS Nationwide Offensive Participant of the Week
Nic Baker was in control of the second half of the 91st Struggle of the Wheel rivalry recreation, passing for 404 of his 458 yards to rally his Missouri Valley squad to a 26-25 win at then-No. 13 Southeast Missouri. He was 37-for-51 total with three touchdowns, together with the game-winner on a nine-yard, fourth-down connection to Izaiah Hartrup with 11 seconds remaining. Baker, who had two interceptions within the first half, has three profession video games above 450 passing yards and 11 with three or extra TD passes.
Week 4: ShunDerrick Powell, Central Arkansas
FedEx Floor FCS Nationwide Offensive Participant of the Week
ShunDerrick Powell, a North Alabama switch, rushed for a career-high 256 yards as UCA topped Abilene Christian 52-17 in a United Athletic Convention opener, marking his second straight recreation above 200 and sixth within the final two seasons. His 95-yard landing run was the FCS season’s longest play from scrimmage, and he added three receptions for 25 yards, together with a 14-yard TD. His 281 all-purpose yards got here one week after he gained 347 in opposition to No. 2 North Dakota State.
Week 5: South Dakota Coyotes
FedEx Floor FCS Nationwide Workforce of the Week
South Dakota by no means trailed of their Missouri Valley Soccer Convention upset at then-No.2 North Dakota State, with Aidan Bouman’s 50- and 52-yard landing passes to Carter Bell fueling a 21-3 halftime lead. Linebacker Brock Mogensen had a game-high 13 tackles, and security Dennis Shorter added 11 stops plus a midfield interception and one to disclaim a two-point conversion. Extremely, the Coyotes have defeated a nationally ranked opponent in each season since 2013.
Week 6: Dylan Kelly, UAlbany
FedEx Floor FCS Nationwide Defensive Participant of the Week
Dylan Kelly racked up an FCS season-high 23 tackles, together with 9 solos, as UAlbany posted a 24-17 victory at Towson in CAA Soccer. His closing deal with helped drop a rusher for a two-yard loss on fourth-and-goal from the UA 1 with 55 seconds left. Additionally within the Nice Danes’ third straight win, Kelly compelled a fumble and recovered it, and had a move breakup and a quarterback hurry.
Week 7: Clayton Crile, Chattanooga
FedEx Floor FCS Nationwide Particular Groups Participant of the Week
Clayton Crile was 5-for-5 whereas notching a faculty file for area targets and averaged 48.8 yards on 5 punts in Chattanooga’s 22-10 win at Mercer within the Southern Convention. He transformed his solely further level try, giving him 16 factors, and three of his punts went contained in the Mercer 20, together with 57- and 55-yarders. The grad switch from Catawba additionally kicked off seven instances.
Week 8: Richard Torres, UIW
FedEx Floor FCS Nationwide Freshman Participant of the Week
With UIW’s beginning quarterback sidelined by harm and its No. 2 sign caller struggling in opposition to winless McNeese, Richard Torres got here off the bench after halftime to rally the Cardinals (6-1) to a 35-24 win within the Southland. Whereas reversing a 24-7 deficit within the closing 19 minutes, 10 seconds, Torres handed for 3 touchdowns and rushed for one. The Nebraska switch, who went again to his hometown at UIW, accomplished 11 of 18 passes for 161 yards.
Week 9: Mike DiLiello, Austin Peay
FedEx Floor FCS Nationwide Offensive Participant of the Week
Mike DiLiello tied the Governors’ single-game file with six landing passes – every to a distinct receiver – whereas directing a 49-39 win over North Alabama within the United Athletic Convention. He accomplished 20 of 25 passes for 353 yards (one was an 87-yard TD) and a 277.8 move effectivity ranking (sixth-best within the FCS this season). In a six-game profitable streak, DiLiello has 23 mixed passing and dashing touchdowns.
Week 10: Keenan Leachman, Alcorn State
FedEx Floor FCS Nationwide Defensive Participant of the Week
A grad switch from Northwestern State, Keenan Leachman scored on two of his three takeaways and the opposite one arrange the Braves offense for a rating as they beat Southern 44-21 in a SWAC West Division first-place showdown. Leachman turned a strip sack right into a 27-yard fumble return for a landing and scored on an 88-yard pick-six. He added one other interception and was in on three tackles, together with two solos.
Week 11: Howard Bison
FedEx Floor FCS Nationwide Workforce of the Week
Howard routed North Carolina Central to finish a 10-game dropping streak within the collection and forestall the Eagles from clinching the MEAC’s Celebration Bowl bid. Quarterback Quinton Williams accounted for 292 yards of whole offense and 4 touchdowns, and defensive Darrian Brokenburr had a team-high seven tackles, together with two sacks. After altering the postseason situation, coach Larry Scott’s squad can safe the varsity’s first Celebration Bowl look with a win over Morgan State.
Week 12: Drake Bulldogs
FedEx Floor FCS Nationwide Workforce of the Week
Drake (8-3, 8-0) accomplished an ideal run by way of the Pioneer Soccer League to safe its first FCS playoff bid. Dorian Boyland’s go-ahead, two-yard landing run with 2:43 left was the distinction for the Bulldogs’ first outright league title since 2004. Extremely, coach Todd Stepsis’ staff has gone straight from a 10-game dropping streak within the PFL (over the 2021 and ’22 seasons) to an 11-game league profitable streak (together with eight wins by seven factors or much less).
Tommy Mellott, Montana State
2023 FedEx Floor Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award
Since arriving at Montana State for the autumn 2020 semester, Tommy Mellott has volunteered over 200 hours of group service, with emphasis on teen psychological well being.
He’s partnered with the inspiration I Love This Life, a suicide consciousness and prevention non-profit, and used his NIL – title, picture and likeness offers on business and sports activities attire – to place his face towards causes. He’s a part of a Hope and Love (HOLO) model consciousness marketing campaign for a disaster hotline that encourages others to hunt help. Moreover, he has volunteered for over two years with Massive Brothers Massive Sisters of America, taking part with youth camps and talking engagements in Butte and Montana State’s Bozeman group.
Mellott carries a 4.0 cumulative grade level common in monetary engineering and is on tempo to graduate subsequent December. On the sector, the 6-foot, 192-pound quarterback grew to become MSU’s starter at, of all instances, the beginning of the 2021 FCS playoffs, however he accounted for 11 touchdowns by way of move, run and reception in three wins and helped the Bobcats advance to the nationwide championship recreation and a runner-up end.
The 2-time staff captain was a Stats Carry out All-American and a Walter Payton Award finalist throughout MSU’s 2022 Massive Sky Convention championship season, and he’s totaled over 5,700 yards of whole offense with 53 whole touchdowns in 33 profession video games. The Bobcats are 32-9 over his three seasons.
Maybe most significantly, although, Mellott says he needs to affect youthful individuals to aspire to be better than they’ve even imagined for themselves.
