Hiers Named Finalist For 2022 Walter Payton Award

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford quarterback Michael Hiers was named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which goes to the top offensive player in all of FCS Football, Stats Perform announced on Tuesday.

A national media panel will select the Payton Award winner, with voting based on the regular season. The recipient will be announced at the FCS National Awards banquet on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas – on the eve of the national championship game.

Hiers, the two-time SoCon Offensive Player of the Month, threw for 3,290 yards on 329-of-428 passing and 35 touchdowns, which is one shy of tying the single-season program record of 36 set by previous Walter Payton Award Winner Delvin Hodges. The junior also ran for 161 yards and three scores on the ground.

As of the end of the FCS regular season, Hiers leads all Division I passers with a 76.9 completion percentage. The Birmingham native ranks Top 10 nationally in completions per game (29.91/1st), passing efficiency (166.4/8th), passing touchdowns (35/3rd), passing yards (3,290/7th), passing yards per game (299.1/4th), points responsible for (228/3rd), points responsible per game (20.7/3rd) and total offense (313.7/4th).

Hiers is the third Samford quarterback to be named a Walter Payton Award finalist in the Chris Hatcher era, following in the footsteps of the 2018 winner Hodges and spring 2021 finalist Liam Welch.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Michael Hiers: QB; 6' 1"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#10 Michael Hiers
: 6' 1"; Junior
: QB

Samford University Athletics

Players Mentioned

#10 Michael Hiers

Players Mentioned

#10 Michael Hiers