STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State running back Kayvon Britten has had an elite season for the Texans in 2024, so special that he is in the running for the national offensive player of the year award.
Stats Perform announced on Tuesday that Britten has been named one of 35 finalists for the 2024 Walter Payton Award, which is presented to the national offensive player of the year in NCAA Division I FCS college football. He is one of 15 running backs among the finalists, with an additional 16 quarterbacks, three wide receivers and one offensive lineman.
Britten has recorded one of the best seasons in Tarleton State Football history. Across 12 regular season games, Britten rushed for 1,750 yards and 16 touchdowns on 287 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per rush and 145.8 yards per game. He also had a touchdown and 120 yards on 10 receptions, finishing with 1,870 yards from scrimmage and 17 total touchdowns.
Britten set a new single-season program rushing record, surpassing Derrick Ross’ mark that had stood for 20 years (1,560 in 2004). He rushed for over 100 yards in 10 different games, and now with 14 in his Tarleton State career, he tied the most ever by a Texan (Roderick Smith, 2006-09). Britten is one of three players in program history with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons (Ross, Daniel McCants).
Nationally, Britten is second in total rush yards, second in rush yards per game, fourth in all-purpose yards per game (155.8), tied-fourth in rushing touchdowns, tied-fifth in total touchdowns and 19th in yards per carry.
Britten was named the FCS Offensive National Player of the Week and UAC Offensive Player of the Week against North Alabama on Sept. 21 after 273 rushing yards and four touchdowns, averaging 13.0 yards per carry. Britten set a new program record for single-game rushing yards, surpassing Ross’ 269 yards rushing vs. Western New Mexico on Sept. 10, 2005. Britten’s 273 rushing yards are the most in a single-game across FCS and second most across all of NCAA Division I this season, with the FBS leader at 278 (Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter). Britten’s four rushing touchdowns are the tied-third most in a game at the FCS level this season. Britten tied the program record in scoring with his four touchdowns, joining six others. Before Britten, the most recent to score four times in a game was Xavier Turner on Oct. 20, 2018. In the second quarter at North Alabama, Britten scored his first touchdown on a 96-yard run, which marked the longest run in program history. It’s the third longest rushing play across D1 this year, just a yard short of UIW’s Dekalon Taylor (Sept. 21) and Saint Francis’ DeMarcus McElroy (Sept. 14).
The full list of the 2024 Walter Payton Award finalists:
Quarterbacks
Zach Calzada, UIW, Grad, 6-4, 200 (Southland Conference)
288 of 440 (65.5%), 3,351 yards, 33 TDs, 8 INTs; 222 rush yards, 4 TDs (12 games)
Jacob Clark, Missouri State, Sr., 6-5, 220 (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
262 of 376 (69.7%), 3,604 yards, 26 TDs, 6 INTs; 1 rush TD (12 games)
Jaden Craig, Harvard, Jr., 6-2, 215 (Ivy League)
169 of 279 (60.6%), 2,430 yards, 23 TDs, 3 INTs; 1 rush TD (10 games)
Paxton DeLaurent, Southeast Missouri, Sr., 6-5, 229 (Big South-OVC Football Association)
320 of 533 (60.0%), 3,520 yards, 29 TDs, 10 INTs; 96 rush yards, 3 TDs (12 games)
Cole Gonzales, Western Carolina, Jr., 6-0, 195 (Southern Conference)
205 of 332 (61.7%), 2,543 yards, 12 TDs, 7 TDs; 212 rush yards, 2 TDs (8 games)
Mark Gronowski, South Dakota State, Sr., 6-3, 225 (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
173 of 280 (61.8%), 2,190 yards, 17 TDs, 6 INTs; 309 rush yards, 5 TDs (12 games)
Miles Hastings, UC Davis, Sr., 6-1, 225 (Big Sky Conference)
303 of 436 (69.5%), 3,745 yards, 32 TDs, 8 INTs; 1 rush TD (12 games)
Maverick McIvor, Abilene Christian, Grad, 6-2, 210 (United Athletic Conference)
292 of 467 (62.5%), 3,675 yards, 29 yards, 5 TDs (12 games)
Tommy Mellott, Montana State, Sr., 6-0, 209 (Big Sky Conference)
149 of 217 (68.7%), 1,980 yards, 22 TDs, 1 INT; 633 rush yards, 11 TDs (12 games)
Cam Miller, North Dakota State, Sr., 6-1, 213 (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
190 of 256 (74.2%), 2,340 yards, 23 TDs, 1 INT; 370 rush yards, 7 TDs (12 games)
Eric Phoenix, South Carolina State, Grad, 6-3, 210 (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
170 of 261 (65.1%), 2,460 yards, 20 TDs, 7 INTs; 225 rush yards, 2 TDs (11 gamea)
Daniel Richardson, Florida A&M, Grad, 5-10, 205 (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
212 of 304 (69.7%), 2,469 yards, 21 TDs, 8 INTs (11 games)
Derek Robertson, Monmouth, Sr., 6-2, 200 (CAA Football)
283 of 435 (65.1%), 3,937 yards, 31 TDs, 6 INTs (12 games)
Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, Sr., 6-0, 210 (Patriot League)
244 of 363 (67.2%), 2,826 yards, 25 TDs, 7 INTs; 100 rush yards, 4 TDs (11 games)
Sam Vidlak, Stephen F. Austin, Jr., 6-1, 207 (Southland Conference)
174 of 257 (67.7%), 2,387 yards, 27 TDs, 4 INTs (9 games)
Jameson Wang, Cornell, Sr., 6-1, 205 (Ivy League)
244 of 378 (64.6%), 24 TDs, 11 INTs; 500 rush yards, 7 TDs (10 games)
Running Backs
Mari Adams, Davidson, Jr., 5-10, 210 (Pioneer Football League)
187 carries, 1,231 yards (6.6 ypc), 15 TDs (11 games)
Hope Adebayo, St. Thomas, Sr., 5-8, 201 (Pioneer Football League)
180 carries, 1,137 yards (6.3 ypc), 9 TDs; 8 receptions, 29 yards (11 games)
Kayvon Britten, Tarleton State, Sr., 5-7, 195 (United Athletic Conference)
287 carries, 1,750 yards (6.1 ypc), 16 TDs; 10 receptions, 120 yards, 1 TD (12 games)
Jermaine Corbett, Merrimack, Sr., 5-9, 195 (FCS Independent)
189 carries, 1,058 yards (5.6 ypc), 9 TDs; 20 receptions, 204 yards, 1 TD; 503 KOR yards, 2 TD (11 games)
Jamar Curtis, Lafayette, Jr., 5-8, 164 (Patriot League)
229 carries, 1,139 yards (5.0 ypc), 16 TDs; 30 receptions, 232 yards, 1 TD (12 games)
Roland Dempster, Stony Brook, R-Sr., 6-0, 225 (CAA Football)
268 carries, 1,332 yards (5.0 ypc), 18 TDs; 32 receptions, 335 yards, 1 TD (12 games)
Malachi Hosley, Penn, So., 5-10, 205 (Ivy League)
191 carries, 1,192 yards (6.2 ypc), 9 TDs; 12 receptions, 89 yards (10 games)
Elijah Howard, Central Connecticut State, RB, So., 5-11, 176 (Northeast Conference)
209 carries, 833 yards (4.0 ypc), 8 TDs; 19 receptions, 193 yards, 1 (10 games)
Targhee Lambson, Southern Utah, Sr., 5-9, 200 (United Athletic Conference)
320 carries, 1,922 yards (6.0 ypc), 23 TDs; 5 receptions, 43 yards (12 games)
Lan Larison, UC Davis, Sr., 6-0, 195 (Big Sky Conference)
255 carries, 1,321 yards (5.2 ypc), 14 TDs; 58 receptions, 755 yards, 6 TDs (12 games)
Antonio Martin Jr., Southeastern Louisiana, So., 5-11, 220 (Southland Conference)
230 carries, 1,228 yards (5.3 ypc), 11 TDs; 20 receptions, 74 yards (12 games)
Dwayne McGee, Mercer, Sr., 5-8, 180 (Southern Conference)
195 carries, 1,018 yards (5.2 ypc), 8 TDs; 12 receptions, 118 yards (12 games)
Irv Mulligan, Jackson State, Grad, 5-10, 205 (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
157 carries, 1,058 yards (6.7 ypc), 10 TDs; 3 receptions, 39 yards (10 games)
ShunDerrick Powell, Central Arkansas, Sr., 5-9, 180 (United Athletic Conference)
164 carries, 1,343 yards (8.2 ypc), 14 TDs; 36 receptions, 318 yards, 3 TDs (11 games)
J’Mari Taylor, North Carolina Central, R-Jr., 5-11, 200 (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
196 carries, 1,148 yards (5.9 ypc), 15 TDs; 30 receptions, 271 yards, 2 TDs (11 games)
Wide Receiver
Jeff Caldwell, Lindenwood, Jr., 6-5, 200 (Big South-OVC Football Association)
53 receptions, 1,032 yards (19.5 ypc), 11 TDs (12 games)
Efton Chism III, Eastern Washington, Sr., 5-11, 200 (Big Sky Conference)
120 receptions, 1,311 yards (10.9 ypc), 13 TDs; 67 punt return yards (12 games)
Jalen Walthall, UIW, R-Jr., 6-2, 180 (Southland Conference)
70 receptions, 1,149 yards (16.4 ypc), 14 TDs (12 games)
Offensive Lineman
Charles Grant, William & Mary, Sr., 6-4, 280 (CAA Football)
First Senior Bowl invite; 41 career starts; allowed only two sacks last three years (12 games)
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