Beau Brungard is still the man to beat. But Kaden Anderson is closing the gap, and Campbell's Kamden Sixkiller has stormed into the Walter Payton Award conversation with a record-breaking performance.
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The 2026 Walter Payton Award race is heating up as FCS football enters Week 9. The reigning winner remains atop FloFootball's rankings, but undefeated teams, record-breaking performances and a new face in the Top 10 are shaking things up.
Here are FloFootball's top 10 Walter Payton Award candidates entering Week 9, ranked by their current résumés and projected chances of winning.
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.
1. Beau Brungard, Youngstown State
The reigning Walter Payton Award winner didn't play in Week 8. He didn't need to.
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 remain one of the strongest offensive résumés in the FCS.
The Youngstown State quarterback also leads the subdivision in completion percentage at 74.7%, completing 171 of 229 passes while throwing just four interceptions.
Brungard is trying to become just the third player to win consecutive Walter Payton Awards. His combination of efficiency, dual-threat production and team success keeps him atop the rankings.
The Penguins return to action Oct. 31 against North Dakota.
2. Kaden Anderson, Tarleton State Football
If Brungard is the favorite, Anderson is making sure he doesn't get comfortable.
The Tarleton State quarterback accounted for five touchdowns for the second consecutive game Saturday, throwing for 296 yards and four scores while rushing for another in a 49-6 victory over West Georgia.
Anderson now has 2,268 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions through eight games. His 177.23 passing efficiency rating leads the FCS.
More importantly, Tarleton State is 8-0 and sitting atop the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
Anderson has accounted for five touchdowns in back-to-back games, becoming the first Tarleton State quarterback in its Division I era to accomplish that feat.
With another opportunity coming against Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 31, Anderson might be one more monster performance away from claiming the top spot.
3. Eli Gillman, Montana
The quarterbacks are getting most of the attention, but Gillman has a strong argument for being the best running back in the Walter Payton Award race.
The Montana standout has rushed for 1,016 yards and 13 touchdowns while producing 1,253 yards from scrimmage through eight games.
Gillman rushed for 139 yards and added 31 receiving yards against Idaho in Week 7, continuing a season in which he's become one of the most consistent offensive weapons in the Big Sky.
Montana had a bye in Week 8, but Gillman's résumé remains difficult to overlook.
The reigning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year also owns Montana's career rushing record. If a non-quarterback is going to win this award, Gillman belongs near the front of the conversation.
4. Keali'i Ah Yat, Montana
Montana's record might not scream national award contender, but Ah Yat's numbers certainly do.
The Grizzlies quarterback has thrown for 2,280 yards and 22 touchdowns with just two interceptions through eight games.
His latest performance was a reminder of why he was a Walter Payton Award finalist in 2025. Ah Yat threw for 338 yards and five touchdowns against Idaho, although Montana fell 42-35.
That loss dropped the Grizzlies to 5-3, creating a significant obstacle for Ah Yat's award candidacy despite his impressive individual production.
Montana was idle in Week 8, giving Ah Yat an opportunity to reset before the final stretch of the regular season.
5. Luke Yoder, Lehigh
Even when Lehigh loses, Yoder keeps producing.
The senior rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries against Villanova in Week 8, but the Mountain Hawks couldn't complete their comeback in a 24-18 loss.
Yoder now has 1,088 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns through eight games, averaging 136 yards per contest.
He has been a consistent force in Lehigh's offense, following a 1,409-yard season in 2025 with another outstanding campaign.
The biggest concern is team momentum. Lehigh has lost two consecutive games after opening the season 6-0.
Still, Yoder's individual production gives him one of the strongest cases among FCS running backs.
6. Chris Parson, Austin Peay
Parson keeps finding ways to win, and the Governors are benefiting.
The Austin Peay quarterback accounted for three touchdowns in a 27-21 victory over North Alabama, throwing for 215 yards while adding 61 yards on the ground.
Parson has now thrown for 1,981 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, with just one interception. His passing efficiency rating ranks fifth nationally.
The returning Walter Payton Award finalist continues to distinguish himself as one of the most efficient dual-threat quarterbacks in the FCS.
With Austin Peay climbing into the national Top 10, Parson's combination of individual production and team success deserves more recognition.
7. Kamden Sixkiller, Campbell
Seven wins. One loss. And a quarterback who just threw for 450 yards.
Welcome to the Walter Payton Award conversation, Kamden Sixkiller.
The Campbell quarterback delivered one of the biggest performances of Week 8, completing 29 of 44 passes for a school-record 450 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-6 victory over Maine.
The win was historic for Campbell, which improved to 7-1 and established a new single-season program wins record since football returned in 2008.
Sixkiller now has 2,349 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, ranking third nationally in passing yardage.
Campbell is also 4-0 in CAA play and unbeaten against FCS opponents.
The Camels are chasing their first FCS playoff appearance, and Sixkiller is giving them plenty of reasons to believe.
8. Ty Pennington, Northern Arizona
Pennington was idle in Week 8, but his earlier performances are still worth remembering.
The Northern Arizona quarterback has thrown for 1,898 yards while adding 294 rushing yards and accounting for 19 touchdowns through eight games.
His most impressive performance came against Montana, when he accounted for six touchdowns in one of the biggest upsets of the FCS season.
Pennington followed that outing with 277 passing yards, 57 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in a 38-25 victory over Portland State.
Northern Arizona enters Week 9 at 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Big Sky play.
The Lumberjacks return Oct. 31 against Southern Utah, giving Pennington another opportunity to strengthen his award candidacy.
9. Kamerin McDowell-Moore, Elon
A true freshman in the Walter Payton Award race? McDowell-Moore is making a compelling case.
The Elon running back has rushed for 1,080 yards this season, becoming the program's first true freshman to reach 1,000 rushing yards since Bobby Hedrick in 1977.
McDowell-Moore rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown against FBS Stanford in Week 7, averaging 7.8 yards per carry despite Elon's 34-7 loss.
He has recorded five 100-yard rushing games this season, including four consecutive performances reaching that milestone.
Elon was idle in Week 8, but McDowell-Moore remains one of the most exciting young offensive players in the FCS.
The Phoenix return to action against North Carolina A&T on Oct. 31.
10. Jaylon Tolbert, Alcorn State
Tolbert's numbers are too impressive to ignore.
The Alcorn State quarterback has thrown for 2,361 yards and 24 touchdowns through eight games, placing him among the FCS leaders in both categories.
He averages 295.1 passing yards per game and owns one of the subdivision's most productive passing attacks.
His latest performance came against Prairie View A&M in Week 7, when he threw for 356 yards and five touchdowns in a narrow 41-38 loss.
Tolbert's eight interceptions and Alcorn State's team results make his award campaign more complicated than those of some higher-ranked quarterbacks.
Still, anyone producing 24 passing touchdowns through eight games deserves a place in the national conversation.
Alcorn State was idle in Week 8.
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