Mellott wins Payton Award
Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott (4) heads to the end zone on a 41-yard touchdown run in the third quarter during an FCS semifinal game against South Dakota at Bobcat Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
FRISCO, Texas – The nation's best offensive player again resides in the Big Sky Conference, as Montana State’s Tommy Mellott was named the 2024 Stats Perform FCS Walter Payton Award winner at the annual national awards banquet on Saturday evening.
Mellott, whose Bobcats play North Dakota State for the national title on Monday night, finished first over Cam Miller of NDSU and Targhee Lambson of Southern Utah.
Mellott is the 10th Walter Payton Award recipient from the Big Sky and first since Eastern Washington’s Eric Barriere won the honor in 2021. Mellott is the first player from Montana State to win the Walter Payton Award. The Butte native also swept the Walter Camp and ADA Offensive Player of the Year honors last week.
“Tommy embodies everything we look for in a football player, in a human being,” said MSU coach Brent Vigen, who was also honored on Saturday as the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year. “He’s obviously deserving, and I’m super proud.”
The award, in its 38th season and affectionately known as the Heisman of the FCS, is named for legendary running back Walter Payton, who starred at Jackson State as part of his Hall of Fame career.
Past recipients include Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo, Cooper Kupp and Trey Lance.
The Big Sky Offensive MVP and a consensus First Team All-America pick, Mellott has led the Bobcats to a 15-0 season, a No. 1 national ranking and a berth in Monday's FCS title game. He enters Monday as the FCS leader in pass efficiency with more than 2,500 pass yards and 29 touchdowns against only two interceptions.
He drew inspiration from a moment born in his team’s loss in the 2021 national championship game, when he was injured early in the first quarter and unable to return. “Three years ago, I was on the sideline injured and our quarterbacks coach at the time, Coach (Taylor) Housewright, told me, ‘If you don’t become a Walter Payton Award winner we’ve failed you,” Mellott said.
Mellott has accounted for an FCS-best 258 points this year, which includes 915 yards and 14 touchdowns rushing. He is the only active FCS player with at least 3,000 career rushing yards and 3,000 career passing yards.
Mellott made history by becoming the first player ever to win both the Walter Payton Award and the Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award during their collegiate careers. The Doris Robinson Award honors an FCS-level student-athlete who exemplifies excellence on the field, in the classroom and across the community.
Central Arkansas defensive end David Walker won the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player.
Payton Award Winners for the Big Sky
2024: Tommy Mellott, Montana State
2021: Eric Barriere, Eastern Washington
2015: Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington
2011: Bo Levi Mitchell, Eastern Washington
2005: Erik Meyer, Eastern Washington
1996: Archie Amerson, Northern Arizona
1995: Dave Dickenson, Montana
1993: Doug Nussmeier, Idaho
1991: Jamie Martin, Weber State
1989: John Friesz, Idaho
2024 Walter Payton Award Voting
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. Tommy Mellott, QB, Montana State: 16-12-3-4-2-147
2. Cam Miller, QB, North Dakota State: 14-8-8-2-1-131
3. Targhee Lambson, RB, Southern Utah: 5-9-11-7-7-115
4. Zach Calzada, QB, UIW: 5-4-5-4-7-71
5. Lan Larison, RB, UC Davis: 5-4-5-4-2-66
6. Derek Robertson, QB, Monmouth: 2-4-5-6-8-61
7. Miles Hastings, QB, UC Davis: 3-4-3-5-2-52
8. Kayvon Britten, RB, Tarleton State: 1-2-1-5-7-33
9. Efton Chism III, WR, Eastern Washington: 1-1-1-6-6-30
10. Mark Gronowski, QB, South Dakota State: 2-1-2-1-0-22
11. Maverick McIvor, QB, Abilene Christian: 0-2-2-2-1-19
12. Paxton DeLaurent, QB, Southeast Missouri: 0-1-2-3-1-17
13. Eric Phoenix, QB, South Carolina State: 1-1-1-0-1-13
14. Jacob Clark, QB, Missouri State: 1-0-2-0-1-12
15. ShunDerrick Powell, RB, Central Arkansas: 0-1-1-1-0-9
16. Dwayne McGee, RB, Mercer: 0-0-1-2-1-8
17. J’Mari Taylor, RB, North Carolina Central: 0-0-1-2-0-7
18. Charles Grant, OT, William & Mary: 0-1-0-0-2-6
19. Ralph Rucker IV, QB, Bucknell: 0-0-1-1-0-5
T20. Daniel Richardson, QB, Florida A&M: 0-1-0-0-0-4
T20. Jalen Walthall, WR, UIW: 0-0-0-0-4-4
22. Irv Mulligan, RB, Jackson State: 0-0-1-0-0-3
23. Elijah Howard, RB, Central Connecticut State: 0-0-0-1-0-2
T24. Hope Adebayo, RB, St. Thomas: 0-0-0-0-1-1
T24. Jamar Curtis, RB, Lafayette: 0-0-0-0-1-1
T24. Cole Gonzales, QB, Western Carolina: 0-0-0-0-1-1
T27. Mari Adams, RB, Davidson: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Jeff Caldwell, WR, Lindenwood: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Jaden Craig, QB, Harvard: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Jermaine Corbett, RB, Merrimack: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Roland Dempster, RB, Stony Brook: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Malachi Hosley, RB, Penn: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Antonio Martin Jr., RB, Southeastern Louisiana: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Sam Vidlak, QB, Stephen F. Austin: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T27. Jameson Wang, QB, Cornell: 0-0-0-0-0-0