ELON – Elon freshman running back
Kamerin McDowell-Moore was selected to the Jerry Rice Award watch list, Stats Perform announced Tuesday. The award is presented annually to the national freshman of the year in the FCS.
McDowell-Moore is one of four running backs and one of three players from the CAA named to the 30-player list. Previous Jerry Rice Award winners include current NFL players Cooper Kupp, Trey Lance, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
McDowell-Moore is the fourth Phoenix in the last four seasons to be named to the Jerry Rice Award watch list, joining Marco Patierno (2023),
TJ Thomas Jr. (2024) and
Landen Clark (2025). Elon's four-year streak with a Jerry Rice Award watch list selection is the longest among CAA teams.
The Tarboro native has emerged as one of the nation's top running backs this season. McDowell-Moore leads all Division I players – FBS and FCS – with 1,080 rushing yards through eight games, and has added seven touchdowns on 158 carries while averaging 6.8 yards per attempt and 135.0 yards per game. He has also caught 13 passes for 80 yards, giving him 1,186 yards from scrimmage this season.
McDowell-Moore has rushed for more than 100 yards in five games this season, including each of Elon's last four contests. He became the first Elon true freshman to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Bobby Hedrick in 1977. His four consecutive 100-yard rushing performances mark the longest streak by a Phoenix running back since Rushawn Baker in 2024.
McDowell-Moore turned in a record-setting performance at New Hampshire, rushing for a career-high 273 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries. His 273 yards were the fourth-most in a single game in Elon history and the most by a freshman in program history. The performance also marked the most rushing yards by a freshman across all levels of college football this season and the second-highest single-game rushing total in the FCS at the time.
Most recently, McDowell-Moore rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries at Stanford, averaging 7.8 yards per attempt. The performance followed a 162-yard effort against Wofford.
True and redshirt freshmen are eligible for the Jerry Rice Award. A national media panel will select the winner from a group of finalists following the regular season.
The full 30-player list for the Jerry Rice Award watch list can be viewed at TheAnalyst.com.
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