CHICAGO, Ill. -- Marist University safety Chase Hatton and Drake Univeristy freshman running back Nick Herman represent the Pioneer Football League as two in a group of 25 finalists for the 2025 Jerry Rice Award, which honors the national freshman player of the year in college football’s Division I FCS subdivision.
Hatton is tied for the FCS lead among freshmen with four total interceptions, and tied for third among freshmen with 89 total tackles. He earned Honorable Mention for Stats Perform FCS Freshman of the Week three times this season. On Nov. 9, Hatton was named PFL Defensive Player of the Week after totaling career highs with 12 tackles and two interceptions plus a pass break-up and half-a-tackle for loss in a victory over Stetson. He had seven games with at least eight tackles this season, and his total of 89 led the team.
Herman has totaled 940 yards and six touchdowns on 131 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per rush this season. He ranks No. 3 among freshman backs in total rushing yards and is No. 1 among freshmen, and No. 3 nationally, in rushing yards per carry. Herman also has caught 12 passes for 113 yards as a rookie.
The Rice Award, celebrating its 15th anniversary season, is named after legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, who starred in the FCS at Mississippi Valley State University. Past recipients include Cooper Kupp, Chase Edmonds, Trey Lance, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
The Jerry Rice Award includes true and redshirt freshmen, and all 13 FCS conferences are represented by a finalist. The recipient, to be selected by a national voting panel, will be announced on Dec. 3 and honored at the Stats Perform National Awards Show on Jan. 3 in Nashville, Tennessee.
About the Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League is the only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The PFL is a truly national conference with members on each coast and throughout the nation’s heartland. Butler University, the University of Dayton, Drake University, and Valparaiso University were among the league’s founding members in 1993, with Davidson College, Marist College, Morehead State University, Presbyterian College, the University of San Diego, the University of St. Thomas, and Stetson University joining to form the current 11-team league.