FCS making waves in what is usually FBS national awards?

[smallcollegefbfan]

With AE on the Unitas list it is helping others get looks. Recently someone with close ties to some of these awards has pushed the names of certain players to those who nominate for the watch lists. I know Austen Lane at Murray State, James Williams at Harvard, Ben Ijalana at Villanova, Matt McCracken at Richmond, Andre Roberts at Citadel, Vladimir Ducasse at UMASS, and even C Kyle Mutcher at Weber State have been mentioned. Hopefully we will see 2-3 more players make these lists as elite FCS players are certainly deserving to be on the watch lists.

[TexasTerror]

It would be nice and lend more credibility to FCS.

Has a player at what was formerly I-AA ever won an I-A/FBS award? I know McNair was in the mix once before. Armanti got some Heisman chatter in the past...

What can we expect?

[smallcollegefbfan]

It would be nice and lend more credibility to FCS.

Has a player at what was formerly I-AA ever won an I-A/FBS award? I know McNair was in the mix once before. Armanti got some Heisman chatter in the past...

What can we expect?

They won't win but getting recognized as a junior could help a player finish very high for the award. Just getting on the list is enough for me. It is hard to justify a player at a lower level earning an award over one from the highest level but having one on the list shows they are among the best and that is all I can ask for.

I'm not just a supporter of FCS players but there are 2-3 in D2 who truly deserve to be on preseason watch lists. There is a OT from ACU, CB from IUP, and a QB from Edinboro.

In D3 there is a QB at Monmouth (Ill.) who had 50 TDs and just 8 INTs last year named Tanney that deserves mention if he puts up crazy numbers like that again this year.

[crossfire07]

Only way to get respect in the FBS arena is to beat it out of them.

[smallcollegefbfan]

As of now Armanti Edwards and James Ruffin are the only two FCS players on watch lists. I was just given the Outland Trophy list and no FCS player made it. While it is sad nobody else has made it thus far there is a chance that one of two players could make the Nagurski list. I can't say how I have the connection but the people who make that watch list are listening to me and we might see a DB or a DE on the list. As soon as I know something I will let you know for sure. They have 2 spots open on that list and I gave them 4 names, 3 from FCS, to keep in mind. The only reason I included a D2 player is because I love all the small schools and the D2 kid has a high projection from NFL teams.

The player I rated number one on the list is Mark LeGree. Here is my reasoning for that.

1. Only the second sophomore in FCS history to finish in the top 3 in voting for the Buchanan Award.
2. He led the nation with 10 INTs
3. 1st team All-American as a junior
4. 1st team All-SoCon
5. Will likely have a top 5 round projection next year from the NFL
6. Everyone saw his 3-INT performance against Wofford on ESPN so his name is known by most

All of that makes him a high profile name and one that voters at that level would most likely identify with and give legit consideration. This was no disrespect to any seniors but none of them had the name, stats, and team success of LeGree. If I was a defensive player in FCS I would pull for him to break this barrier. I would also be hoping he makes the list and stays on for the entire year. Hopefully this FCS star breaks that barrier and sets it up for future FCS players to make these lists. Little things like this can only help the division get exposure and legitimize the star players of this level!

The others I put on the list are James Ruffin, Austen Lane, and the IUP CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah.

What do you guys think?