Stewart Named To Jerry Rice Award Watch List
11/8/2016 4:01:00 PM | Football
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Freshman wide receiver Nathan Stewart has been named to the watch list for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award, an honor bestowed onto the nation's top freshman player in an announcement by STATS FCS on Tuesday.
Stewart thrust his way into the national spotlight over the weekend with 12 catches, 268 yards and three touchdowns against McNeese. The 12 catches was the third most in a single game in Sam Houston State history, while the 268 yards receiving was the best ever in a single game in both Sam Houston and Southland Conference history.
That effort broke Jonathon Cooper's 15-year old record at Sam Houston, while also eclipsing Ronald Bonner of Jacksonville State in 1997 for the best mark in the history of the league.
Those numbers earned him honors as both the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week and National Freshman of the Week from STATS FCS.
The Dallas native currently leads all freshman in the country in touchdown receptions (9) and receiving yards (768), while ranking in the top 15 nationally among all players with 19.7 yards per reception.
He will be seeking to become the first Bearkat ever to win the Jerry Rice Award, with Sam Houston having one finalist in the award's history – P.J. Hall in 2014 who finished third in the voting.
Stewart was one of six players from across the country to be added to the watch list along with Chase Fourcade (Nicholls), Torrey Hunt (North Dakota), Alex Probert (Liberty), Prince Smith Jr. (New Hampshire) and Ryan Stanley (Florida A&M).
