He's the real McCoy

Dec. 8—The Idaho football team has one more thing to hang its hat on as the season comes to a close.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Gevani McCoy took home the Jerry Rice Award, which is annually given to the best freshman in the Football Championship Subdivision, STATS Perform announced Wednesday.

McCoy now cements his name alongside some notable former winners such as current Washington State quarterback Cam Ward, first-round pick Trey Lance and Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp.

"It's a great feeling," McCoy said. "It's a good thing to be in the conversation with those guys. It's for sure some good company to be in."

McCoy was the clear favorite to win the award and it was made clear by the votes he received. He picked up 31 first-place nods in voting done by a national panel of sports information directors, broadcasters and writers, compared to nine received by Albany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger, the second-place finisher.

McCoy threw 27 touchdowns, first in the Big Sky Conference and 10th nationally, adding 2,719 yards in the air, third-best in the conference. He also ranked fifth in the FCS in passing efficiency.

"We are extremely proud of Vani's development," first-year coach Jason Eck said in a statement. "He was a catalyst for our offense that kept improving all year. He is a tremendous leader who plays with great emotional stability."

While McCoy's efforts proved he deserved the award, the idea of him being the best freshman in the country was a pipe dream at the start of the season.

As a true freshman in 2021, he played in three games and looked less than stellar, passing for 205 yards, one score and four interceptions.

After his lackluster season, he had to deal with a new coaching staff and was viewed as the third-string quarterback in what started as a loaded room full of seven guys in the spring. He also didn't immediately pass the eye test of Eck and the new coaching staff.

McCoy never let that deter him from the path he was on. He began to raise his own stock during spring practice and continued to do so even after he was announced as the Week 1 starter against Washington State.

"I just kept my head down and started to grind," McCoy said. "That's all I did all summer and through spring ball. I'm so thankful for the guys that I competed against every day in practice to be my best."

After the Washington State game, McCoy continued to get better each time out. He threw for more than 300 yards twice, with a career-high 344 yards against UC Davis on Nov. 12.

He also threw for four touchdowns three separate times and completed 70 percent or more of his passes in six games, a program record.

"This past year has been a great year overall," McCoy said. "To think back on this time last year, I really didn't know what to expect and what I was going to get out of this season. It's been such a great ride and I'm so thankful for it."

While the idea of Idaho being in the national spotlight seems foreign to most, McCoy manifested success from the start. He had doubters, including some in-house. But he was able to shut down the noise en route to national recognition.

"I knew all of this success was possible," McCoy said. "As far as the Jerry Rice Award, I didn't think that big, I was just focusing on getting the starting job. I was just trying to focus on putting my team in winning situations. But it happened and I'm thankful."

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.

Jerry Rice Award winners

2022 — Gevani McCoy, Idaho

2021 — Shedeur Sanders, Jackson State

2020 — Cameron Ward, Incarnate Word

2019 — Trey Lance, North Dakota State

2018 — Josh Davis, Weber State

2017 — Bryson Armstrong, Kennesaw State

2016 — A.J. Hines, Duquesne

2015 — Case Cookus, Northern Arizona

2014 — Chase Edmonds, Fordham

2013 — Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington

2012 — John Roberston, Villanova

2011 — Terrance West, Towson

Voting

Here is the voting for this year's Jerry Rice Award, conducted by STATS Perform and voted on by a national panel of sports information directors, broadcasters and writers (a first-place vote was worth five points, etc.):

Player, School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Total

Gevani McCoy, Idaho 31 9 2 2 2 203

Reese Poffenbarger, Albany 9 6 10 7 5 118

Makai Jackson, St. Francis 2 12 7 10 6 105

Rex Connors, UC Davis 5 4 13 7 5 99

Eric O'Neill, LIU 2 8 5 8 4 77