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CONTRIBUTED BY ETSU ATHLETICS

JOHNSON CITY – The FCS Walter Payton Award Watch List has been released, featuring ETSU redshirt-junior running back Quay Holmes (Powder Springs, Ga.).

The watch list consists of 35 individuals, including the reigning winner of the Walter Payton Award, Cole Kelley of Southeastern Louisiana. Holmes is one of four Southern Conference student-athletes on the watch list, joined by: Jakob Herres (VMI), Liam Welch (Samford), and Devin Wynn (Furman).

Holmes, recently named to the Stats Perform Preseason First Team All-America, was a finalist for the prestigious award following the spring 2021 season.

The FCS Walter Payton Award goes to the national offensive player of the year and is named after legendary running back, Walter Payton, who competed at Jackson State at the FCS level.

Holmes played in six games, rushing the ball 122 times for 640 yards and eight touchdowns. The Georgia product averaged 106.7 yards on the ground per game during the spring, averaging 5.2 yards per rush.

Holmes also recorded 399 kick-return yards on 16 attempts, averaging 24.9 yards per return. For the season, Holmes accounted for 1,094 all-purpose yards, tallying 182.3 all-purpose yards per game.

Holmes led the Southern Conference in rushing yards per game (106.7), averaging 26.9 yards more than the next-highest rusher. The redshirt junior’s 182.3 all-purpose yards per game also led the conference, while ranking second in all of FCS football.

Heading into his fourth season with the Blue & Gold, Holmes is currently third all-time in career rushing yards (2,711) and sixth in rushing yards per carry (5.1).