Beau Brungard is chasing history, Kaden Anderson just threw five touchdowns and plays for the No. 1 team in FCS football, and Montana has three players putting up numbers worthy of national attention.
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The 2026 Walter Payton Award watch list is getting crowded as the FCS football season approaches Week 8. The award recognizes the subdivision's outstanding offensive player, and FloFootball's latest Top 10 features quarterbacks, running backs and a receiver making their cases with impressive individual performances.
Here are FloFootball's top 10 Walter Payton Award candidates entering Week 8, ranked by their current résumés and projected chances of winning.
1. Beau Brungard, Youngstown State
The reigning Walter Payton Award winner remains the player to beat.
Brungard has thrown for 2,061 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for another 647 yards and 11 scores. His 30 combined touchdowns through eight games give him one of the strongest offensive résumés in the FCS.
Against Northern Iowa in Week 7, Brungard completed 23 of 27 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns while adding 80 rushing yards and another score in a 35-22 victory.
With Youngstown State ranked No. 4 nationally in the AFCA Coaches Poll, Brungard has the production, team success and history to remain atop the watch list. The Penguins have a bye this weekend before facing North Dakota on Oct. 31.
2. Kaden Anderson, Tarleton State
Anderson might be Brungard's most dangerous challenger.
The Tarleton State quarterback has thrown for 1,972 yards and 20 touchdowns, helping the Texans open the season 7-0 and climb to No. 1 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
His latest performance was particularly impressive. Anderson completed 21 of 29 passes for 279 yards and five touchdowns in Tarleton State's 49-35 victory over Central Arkansas, earning his third United Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week award this season.
With 22 combined touchdowns and an undefeated record, Anderson has one of the strongest cases in the country. He'll have another opportunity to build that résumé when Tarleton State visits West Georgia on Oct. 24.
3. Keali'i Ah Yat, Montana
Montana might be struggling to win games, but Ah Yat certainly isn't struggling to throw touchdowns.
The Grizzlies quarterback has passed for 2,279 yards and 22 touchdowns this season, ranking among the FCS leaders in both categories.
Ah Yat threw for 338 yards and five touchdowns against Idaho in Week 7, but Montana fell 42-35 for its second consecutive loss.
The 2025 Walter Payton Award finalist continues to produce at an elite level. The biggest obstacle to his candidacy may be Montana's 5-3 record rather than anything happening under center.
Montana has a bye this weekend.
4. Eli Gillman, Montana
Few running backs in the FCS have a stronger statistical argument than Gillman.
The Montana standout has rushed for 1,016 yards and 13 touchdowns while leading the subdivision with 1,253 yards from scrimmage.
Gillman added 139 rushing yards and 31 receiving yards against Idaho, catching four passes and scoring a receiving touchdown in the loss.
The reigning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year also owns Montana's career rushing record. If a running back is going to challenge the quarterbacks for the Walter Payton Award, Gillman belongs near the front of the conversation.
Like his Montana teammates, Gillman is off in Week 8.
5. Luke Yoder, Lehigh
Lehigh's first loss of the season didn't stop Yoder from delivering another productive afternoon.
The senior rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown against Cornell, bringing his season totals to 956 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.
Yoder is averaging 136.6 rushing yards per game and 6.5 yards per carry through seven contests. He has also added a receiving touchdown.
After rushing for 1,409 yards in 2025, Yoder has continued to establish himself as one of the Patriot League's most productive offensive players.
Lehigh's 6-1 record gives his candidacy additional weight, and he'll have another opportunity to impress when the Mountain Hawks visit Villanova on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 3:30 p.m. ET.
6. Ty Pennington, Northern Arizona
Pennington followed one of the biggest individual performances of the FCS season with another strong outing.
After accounting for six touchdowns in Northern Arizona's upset of Montana, Pennington threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 57 yards and another score against Portland State.
The Lumberjacks won 38-25, improving to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Big Sky play.
Pennington now has 1,898 passing yards, 294 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns accounted for, including a receiving score.
Northern Arizona has a bye in Week 8 before returning Oct. 31 against Southern Utah.
7. Chris Parson, Austin Peay
Parson continues to make his case as one of the FCS's most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks.
The returning Walter Payton Award finalist has accounted for 20 touchdowns this season, including 12 passing and eight rushing scores.
Against West Georgia in Week 7, Parson threw for 139 yards and rushed for another 68, scoring twice on the ground in a victory for the Governors.
Austin Peay is 6-2 and ranked No. 9 nationally in the AFCA Coaches Poll, keeping Parson in the national spotlight as the United Athletic Conference race continues.
His combination of passing ability, mobility and previous award recognition makes him difficult to leave out of the Top 10.
Parson will look to strengthen his case when Austin Peay visits North Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. ET.
8. Kamerin McDowell-Moore, Elon
The most surprising name on this week's watch list might also be one of its most productive.
McDowell-Moore leads all Division I players with 1,080 rushing yards, and he's doing it as a true freshman.
The Elon running back rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown against FBS Stanford in Week 7, averaging 7.8 yards per carry despite the Phoenix's 34-7 loss.
He became Elon's first true freshman to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Bobby Hedrick in 1977.
McDowell-Moore has already produced five 100-yard rushing performances this season, including four consecutive games reaching that mark.
Elon has a bye this weekend, but McDowell-Moore's production has already made him one of the most interesting newcomers in the Walter Payton Award conversation.
9. Jaylon Tolbert, Alcorn State
No FCS quarterback has more passing yards or passing touchdowns than Tolbert entering Week 8.
The Alcorn State quarterback has thrown for 2,361 yards and 24 touchdowns through eight games, averaging 295.1 passing yards per contest.
Tolbert delivered one of his best performances of the season against Prairie View A&M in Week 7, throwing for 356 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. He completed 19 of 39 passes, but Alcorn State fell 41-38.
His eight interceptions this season are worth considering when comparing his résumé with more efficient quarterbacks, but his ability to generate passing yards and touchdowns puts him firmly in the national conversation.
Alcorn State has a bye on Oct. 24.
10. Brooks Davis, Montana
Montana already has two players on this list, and Davis makes a compelling case for a third.
The Grizzlies receiver leads the FCS with 908 receiving yards and ranks among the national leaders with nine receiving touchdowns.
Against Idaho in Week 7, Davis caught eight passes for 104 yards and three touchdowns, delivering one of the weekend's most impressive performances by a wide receiver.
Davis faces an uphill battle in an award race featuring several prolific quarterbacks and running backs, but his production deserves recognition.
He'll join Ah Yat and Gillman on the sidelines this weekend as Montana enters its bye week.
What Is The Walter Payton Award?
The Walter Payton Award is presented annually by Stats Perform to the outstanding offensive player in NCAA Division I FCS football.
Named after legendary running back Walter Payton, who played college football at Jackson State, the award recognizes exceptional individual offensive performances throughout the season.
Youngstown State quarterback Beau Brungard won the award in 2025 and is attempting to become the third player to win it in consecutive seasons. Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards won in 2008 and 2009, while Sam Houston State quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe won in 2016 and 2017.
This Top 10 is FloFootball's editorial ranking of the leading candidates, not an official Stats Perform watch list or voting result.
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