The Jerry Rice Award’s Secret Pipeline: Who Will Be the Next NFL Sensation?

Cooper Kupp set a gold standard that’s tough to match—but here’s the kicker: the Jerry Rice Award has quietly been cranking out NFL-ready talent for well over a decade, and the pipeline’s just getting warmed up. Since its kickoff in 2011, this award for the top freshman in FCS college football has been a crystal ball of sorts, spotlighting players like Terrance West, Taylor Heinicke, and David Johnson, who didn’t just shine in college—they made waves in the pros. Fast forward to now, and the list reads like an NFL who’s who, including Kupp himself, Chase Edmonds, and Trey Lance, plus a slew of defensive standouts who’ve taken the league by storm. With the 2025 NFL Draft looming, we’re on the cusp of witnessing a fresh wave of game-changers who’ve started small but dream big—could one of these young ‘underdogs’ be the next surprise pick to shake up the draft board? There’s no doubt Jerry Rice’s legacy continues to ripple through football’s ranks, offering a masterclass in how grit and talent flourish beyond the spotlight. Ready to dig into the remarkable journey of these FCS stars as they chase NFL glory? LEARN MORE.

Cooper Kupp may be considered the standard, but there are plenty more standouts to know as we look into the terrific history of FCS college football’s Jerry Rice Award sending winners and finalists on to the NFL. The list will grow in a big way with the 2025 NFL Draft.

The inaugural Jerry Rice Award in 2011 indicated how the outstanding freshman player of the year award in FCS college football was on to something special.

Three of the top four finishers in the inaugural voting would go on to NFL careers – Towson running back Terrance West, the award recipient; Old Dominion quarterback Taylor Heinicke, the runner-up; and Northern Iowa running back David Johnson, who was fourth.

It’s remained that way ever since as the award heads toward its 15th season this year.

Other past winners to make the leap to NFL careers are Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the 2013 recipient and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP of the 2021 season; Fordham running back Chase Edmonds (2014), who’s nearly a 2,000-yard rusher in his NFL career; and North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance (2019), the No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

But it all extends much further. The Rice Award is selected from a group of 20 or more finalists annually, so numerous standouts have advanced to the NFL, including edge rushers Shaquille Leonard (South Carolina State) and Jared Verse (UAlbany), who both won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year awards; running back Tarik Cohen (North Carolina A&T); linebackers Christian Rozeboom (South Dakota State) and Troy Andersen (Montana State); cornerback Christian Benford (Villanova); and long snapper Luke Rhodes (William & Mary).

West, the inaugural Rice winner, made an early entry into the NFL with the 2014 draft, while other players from that first group of finalists followed one year later. To date, from the first 10 full groups of Rice finalists to become draft-eligible, 15 have been selected in the draft and nearly 50 were signed to NFL rosters and practice squads.

Plus, Rice finalists have gone on to success in other pro leagues, including quarterbacks Vernon Adams (Eastern Washington) in the CFL and Case Cookus (2015 Rice recipient at Northern Arizona) in the USFL.

“I think the list is reflective of deserving recipients whether they were a finalist or the winner,” said Rice, who was an All-American in the Football Championship Subdivision at Mississippi Valley State. “Their accomplishments on the field speak for themselves. These guys show up, put the time in, and are striving for greatness every day.”

This year stands out as the next wave of Jerry Rice Award finalists is arriving for the 2025 NFL Draft in a spectacular way. Quarterbacks Cam Ward, the 2020 Rice Award recipient at UIW, and Shedeur Sanders, the 2021 recipient at Jackson State, and two-way standout Travis Hunter, who finished seventh in the Rice voting during an injury-plagued 2022 freshman season at Jackson State, are all projected as top-10 draft picks.

One of them could be taken first overall.

“These are young GOATs,” Rice said, “and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.”

Ward and Sanders both played two seasons on the FCS level before making transfers to FBS programs. Hunter made an FBS move to Colorado after his one FCS season and went on to receive the 2024 Heisman Trophy.

Also, in the 2024 season, Ward, at Miami (FL), and Sanders, at Colorado, were top-10 finishers in a number of FBS passing statistics, including Ward finishing first and Sanders second with 39 and 37 touchdown passes, respectively.

NFL teams watched closely as the trio kept progressing.

When playing “in design” – or within the structure of the play design – Sanders ranked No. 1 among qualifying FBS QBs in completion percentage (80.0) and catchable ball percentage (85.9). Ward was 10th in open target percentage (85.1), 12th in catchable ball percentage (78.4) and 10th in pickable pass percentage (2.3), but he had a 9.6 aDOT (average depth of target), and no other QB with an aDOT of 9.5+ was even in the top 30 of all of those categories.

Hunter played 715 offensive snaps and 748 defensive snaps during his Heisman season, finishing top five as a receiver in receptions (96), yards (1,258) and TDs (15) while also finishing 14th out of 174 FBS cornerbacks with 250+ pass coverage snaps in burn percentage allowed (37.8).

The small-school beginnings served as a stepping-stone to all of the excellence.

“I can’t comment on how real any labels are,” Rice said, “but I just know that as an athlete you can’t pay attention to it. It doesn’t matter what school you play for, you need to show up, work hard and be committed to do the best you can do. I think whatever helps any athlete be motivated is great, so if being considered the underdog or coming from a smaller school helps motivate you, then use that and prove everyone wrong.”

The 2025 NFL Draft will be held April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Besides the big trio, other Rice Award finalists could be selected later in the draft and still others may sign as undrafted free agents.

Quite simply, the Jerry Rice Award-to-NFL pipeline will keep flowing.

Watch the 2024 Jerry Rice Award announcement at the FCS national banquet.

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The post Jerry Rice Award Has Flowed Like a Pipeline to the NFL, and the Next Wave is Here appeared first on Opta Analyst.