Atkinson Among Lists Of Finalists For Jerry Rice Award
11/24/2025 2:30:00 PM | Football
MACON – Individual recognitions for the Mercer football team continued into the late afternoon on Monday when rookie Braden Atkinson was included among a group of 25 finalists for the Jerry Rice Award which honors the national freshman player of the year in college football's Division I FCS subdivision.
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The Jerry 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. Past recipients include Cooper Kupp, Chase Edmonds, Trey Lance, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
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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 December 3 and later honored at the Stats Perform National Awards Show on January 3 in Nashville, Tenn.
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Atkinson, a native of Rolesville, N.C., and a product of Rolesville High School, has completed 68.1 percent (250-for-367) of his pass attempts this season and has already broken school single-season records for passing completions (250), attempts (367), yards (3,448) and touchdowns (34). He has thrown for 300 or more yards in eight of his 10 starts this season, including a school record 533 yards amid Mercer's 62-0 home win over VMI on October 25. He has also, thrice, matched the program's single-game superlative for passing touchdowns with five scoring tosses against Samford, VMI and Chattanooga.
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Atkinson currently ranks second among all FCS signal callers in passing yards, passing yards per game (344.8), passing touchdowns and completions per game (25.00), while ranking third, nationally, in points responsible for per game (21.0), total offense per game (345.8) and yards per pass attempt (9.40).
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The Bears (9-2, 8-0 SoCon) will begin their road in the NCAA postseason on December 6 when they suit up to take on either 11th-seeded South Dakota (8-4) or Drake (8-3) in the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. Kickoff has been scheduled for noon at Five Star Stadium.
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Tickets for the game will go on sale Tuesday.
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The Jerry 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. Past recipients include Cooper Kupp, Chase Edmonds, Trey Lance, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
Â
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 December 3 and later honored at the Stats Perform National Awards Show on January 3 in Nashville, Tenn.
Â
Atkinson, a native of Rolesville, N.C., and a product of Rolesville High School, has completed 68.1 percent (250-for-367) of his pass attempts this season and has already broken school single-season records for passing completions (250), attempts (367), yards (3,448) and touchdowns (34). He has thrown for 300 or more yards in eight of his 10 starts this season, including a school record 533 yards amid Mercer's 62-0 home win over VMI on October 25. He has also, thrice, matched the program's single-game superlative for passing touchdowns with five scoring tosses against Samford, VMI and Chattanooga.
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Atkinson currently ranks second among all FCS signal callers in passing yards, passing yards per game (344.8), passing touchdowns and completions per game (25.00), while ranking third, nationally, in points responsible for per game (21.0), total offense per game (345.8) and yards per pass attempt (9.40).
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The Bears (9-2, 8-0 SoCon) will begin their road in the NCAA postseason on December 6 when they suit up to take on either 11th-seeded South Dakota (8-4) or Drake (8-3) in the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. Kickoff has been scheduled for noon at Five Star Stadium.
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Tickets for the game will go on sale Tuesday.
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