• Complete Jerry Rice Award Release and Voting Totals
In results of voting for the 2025 Jerry Rice Award, given to the FCS National Freshman of the Year, Charlesotn Southern wide receiver
Rashawn Cunningham finished 21st while Lindenwood wide receiver
Rico Bond finished 22nd.
Mercer quarterback Braden Atkinson was announced as the winner, selected from 25 finalists by a 56-member national voting panel; he will receive his award at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Show on January 3 in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Rice Award, celebrating its 15th anniversary season, is named for legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, who starred in the FCS at Mississippi Valley State. The award includes both true and redshirt freshmen and encompasses all 13 FCS conferences, with Cooper Kupp, Chase Edmonds, Trey Lance, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders among the past recipients.
Cunningham led Charleston Southern with 33 catches for 604 yards and seven touchdowns in his debut season. His seven receiving touchdowns were second-most in the OVC-Big South and were third nationally among freshmen. He averaged 18.3 yards per reception, which was 27th nationally and fifth in the FCS among all freshmen. Against UT Martin he hauled in seven passes for 216 yards and a touchdown; it marked the fifth-most by a FCS player in 2025, the third-most in CSU history and fourth-most in OVC-Big South single-game history. Cunningham had a touchdown in five of the final six games of the season, including two in a victory at Western Illinois.
Bond led the Lindenwood team with 61 catches in 12 games, finishing with 701 yards and a team-best six touchdowns. He had a season-best 119 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a victory over Stony Brook. He had eight catches in that contest, a total that he also equaled against Gardner-Webb. Bond added seven catches for 102 yards and a touchdown against FBS foe Appalachian State. His 5.0 receptions/game ranked second in the OVC-Big South and third nationally among freshmen. He was named OVC-Big South Freshman of the Week three times during the year.
In addition to the Jerry Rice Award, the Walter Payton Award (FCS Offensive Player of the Year), Buck Buchanan Award (FCS Defensive Player of the Year), Eddie Robinson Award (FCS Coach of the Year), HBCU National Player of the Year and Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be presented at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Show.
2025 Jerry Rice 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. Braden Atkinson, Mercer: 51-2-1-0-1-267
2. Caden Pinnick, UC Davis: 2-28-7-1-4-149
3. Xai’Shaun Edwards, Houston Christian: 1-6-7-8-3-69
4. Lamont Lester Jr., Monmouth: 0-4-7-12-6-67
5. Tre Page III, Tarleton State: 0-4-6-7-3-51
6. Landen Clark, Elon: 0-5-4-3-6-44
7. Tony Diaz, UT Rio Grande Valley: 0-2-5-2-5-32
8. Montreze Smith Jr., Austin Peay: 0-1-3-2-5-28
9. Mitchell Summers, Sacred Heart: 0-0-6-2-4-20
10. EJ Colson, UIW: 0-0-6-1-3-17
11. Jaiden Haygood, UT Rio Grande Valley: 0-0-1-5-2-15
T12. Brooks Davis, Montana: 0-0-0-4-2-10
T12: Chase Bingmon, Prairie View A&M: 1-0-0-2-1-10
T12. Chase Hatton, Marist: 0-0-2-2-0-10
T15. Andrew Indorf, Towson: 0-0-2-1-1-9
T15. Darius Malcom Jr., Wofford: 1-1-0-0-0-9
T15. Nick Herman, Drake: 0-2-0-0-1-9
T15. Raymond Moore Jr., Morgan State: 0-0-2-1-1-9
19. Evan James, Furman: 0-1-0-0-2-6
20. Nic Yatsko, Indiana State: 0-0-1-0-2-5
21. Rashawn Cunningham, Charleston Southern: 0-0-0-0-2-2
T22. Matt Fogler, Colgate: 0-0-0-0-1-1
T22. Rico Bond, Lindenwood: 0-0-0-0-1-1
T24. Jaqai Carter, Robert Morris: 0-0-0-0-0-0
T24. Josh Robinson, Princeton: 0-0-0-0-0-0