Armanti Edwards Finishes Career As Most-Decorated FCS Player In History

CHATTANOOGA, TENN — Senior quarterback Armanti Edwards finished out his illustrious career as the most-decorated player in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) by claiming the prestigious Walter Payton Award for the second-straight season.

Like its counterpart, the Heisman Trophy at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, the Walter Payton Award is awarded to the top player at the FCS level. Edwards becomes the first player in the 23-year history of the award to claim the sub-classification’s highest honor twice in a career.

He received 55 of a possible 108 first-place votes and 431 total points to easily out-distance Elon wide receiver Terrell Hudgins, who received 16 first-place votes and 268 points. Southern Illinois running back Deji Karim placed third with 14 first-place votes and 259 points.

In 2009, Edwards, who missed two games with injury, set a school single-season record for passing yardage (3,291 yards), while also rushing for 679 yards to compile an impressive 3,970 yards of total offense for the campaign. Those totals helped Edwards finish on the NCAA’s all-time Division I (FBS or FCS) for total offensive yardage in a career, with 14,753 yards. That was second to only the late Steve "Air" McNair, who finished his illustrious career at Alcorn State with 16,823 yards from 1991-94.

Edwards’ 330.8 yards of total offense averaged per game this season was good enough to rank him third in the nation in total offense average per game this season. Edwards also ranked in the Top 20 nationally in rushing TDs (t-3rd-18), completion percentage (4th-.680), passing yards (8th), scoring (10th-108 pts.), passing efficiency (12th-147.90), completions (13th-257) and TDs responsible for (16th-30).

In his illustrious career, Edwards set an astounding 64 school marks, while re-writing the SoCon record books on 14 occasions. With his 10,392 career passing yards and his 4,361 career rushing yards, he is the only player in Division I football history (FBS or FCS) to ever pass for 9,000 or more yards while also rushing better than 4,000 yards in a career. In total, he was responsible for 139 career TDs (74 passing, 65 rushing) to highlight his amazing career.

With Edwards’ Payton Award, it marks the fourth time this decade ,and fifth time overall, that a player from the SoCon has claimed FCS’ highest honor, including the third-consecutive season a player from the SoCon has garnered the accolade. Other winners this decade include: Louis Ivory (2000), Jayson Foster (2007), Armanti Edwards (2008), and Edwards (2009). Adrian Peterson was the first to claim the prestigious individual honor in 1999.

Edwards’ career had many moments worthy of praise, and several that will never be forgotten. As a starting signal-caller from the third game of his true freshman season, Edwards compiled a record of 42-7 as a starter, led the Mountaineers to two national titles (2006 and 2007), while helping orchestrate the biggest upset in college football history in 2007, with Appalachian State’s 34-32 win to open the season at No. 5 Michigan.

On that memorable afternoon, he compiled 289 yards of total offense, completing 17-of-23 passes for 227 yards, with three TDs and two interceptions. Edwards also rushed for 62 yards and a score in the memorable upset win.

Later in the 2007 season, playing for the right to play for a national title against the Richmond Spiders, Edwards put forth one the premier performances in FCS and Division I (FBS or FCS) history by a quarterback. In the 55-35 victory over the Spiders, Edwards rushed for 313 yards (the most rushing yards ever recorded by a quarterback in NCAA Division I FCS or FBS history) and four TDs, while connecting on 14-of-16 passes for 182 yards and three scores. In all, he accounted for 495 yards of total offense and seven TD responsibilities.

Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge blog.