Reigning Walter Payton Award winner Mark Gronowski of South Dakota State was one of 35 players named Tuesday to the preseason watch list for the award that honors the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.
A senior from Naperville, Illinois, Gronowski was selected as the 2023 winner after leading the FCS in quarterback rating at 179.67 while completing 68.1 percent (209-of-307) of his passes. He tallied 3,058 passing yards and 29 touchdowns against only five interceptions.
Gronowski added 402 rushing yards and eight touchdowns as he ranked third among FCS players in points responsible for with 228.
In three years as the Jackrabbits’ starting quarterback, Gronowski has directed squads to a combined 37-3 record and carries a 29-game winning streak into the 2024 campaign. SDSU has reached the FCS championship game in each of those three seasons, winning consecutive national titles in 2022 and 2023.
Gronowski will attempt to become only the third repeat winner of the Walter Payton Award. Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards was a two-time winner in 2008 and 2009, while Sam Houston quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe claimed the award in both 2016 and 2017.
The Walter Payton Award was first presented in 1987. The official watch list will be update periodically during the 2024 season before a national media panel selects the winner after the regular season from a group of finalists.
In Touch 12/06/24
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