Youngstown State senior running back Jaleel McLaughlin finished seventh in the voting for the 2022 Stats Perform Walter Payton Award, which honors the top Offensive Player in the FCS. Stats Perform announced the results of voting for the non-finalists on Monday.
McLaughlin earned 30 points in the balloting, which put him ahead of 22 of the top offensive players at the FCS level. The 2022 MVFC Offensive Player of the Year, he earned three first-place votes, one second-place vote, two third, two fourth and one fifth-place vote. He ranked third among non-quarterbacks in the overall voting.
The finalists for the award are quarterbacks Tim DeMorat of Fordham and Lindsey Scott Jr. of UIW and running back Jaden Shirden of Monmouth.
A 54-member panel voted on the 36th annual award after the regular season. The announcement of the recipient will be made at the FCS National Awards banquet on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.
