New Hampshire junior quarterback Max Brosmer and Monmouth junior running back Jaden Shirden are among the top three in the voting for the 2023 Walter Payton Award, which honors the top offensive player in FCS football and is presented by FedEx Ground.

Brosmer and Shirden earned invitations to the announcement of the award, which will take place at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas prior to the national championship game. They will be joined by South Dakota State junior quarterback Mark Gronowski.

Brosmer completed 294-of-459 passes for 3,464 yards and 29 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He added 126 yards and five TD’s rushing. Brosmer led the FCS in passing yards, passing yards per game (313.5 ypg) and total offense (325.0 ypg), was second in passing TD’s (29) and third in points responsible for (208). A first-team All-CAA selection and the Chuck Boone Leadership Award recipient, he passed for over 300 yards six times this season, including three games with over 400 yards, and threw multiple touchdowns in nine of his 11 contests.

Shirden was honored as the CAA Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after rushing for 1,478 yards and 10 touchdowns on 221 carries (6.7 ypc). He added 20 receptions for 120 yards and a TD. Shirden led the FCS in rushing yards and rushing yards per game (134.4 ypg) for the second year in a row, becoming the first player to accomplish that feat since Sacramento State’s Charles Roberts in 1998-99. He rushed for over 100 yards seven times this season and topped the 200-yard mark twice, highlighted by a 276-yard, four touchdown effort vs. Hampton on Oct. 14. Shirden, who finished third in the voting for the 2022 Payton Award, has 3,697 career rushing yards in three seasons.

The Walter Payton Award, first presented in 1987, has a distinguished history of recipients, including Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo, Cooper Kupp and Trey Lance.

Along with Brosmer and Shirden, New Hampshire running back Dylan Laube, Monmouth wide receiver Dymere Miller and UAlbany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger finished among the top 12 in voting for the Payton Award.

FCS Trio Invited to 2023 Walter Payton Award Announcement | The Analyst