Howard, Stoll Named National Player Of The Year Finalist
Howard is a finalist for the offensive honor and Stoll is a candidate for the defensive award.
For the second consecutive season the Central Connecticut State football program has a pair of finalists for FCS National Player of the Year awards on both sides of the ball. Elijah Howard is a finalist for the second time for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the top FCS offensive player, while Jack Stoll is a finalist for the defensive award, the Buck Buchanan Award.
Howard surpassed the 1,000 yard mark for the season last week and has amassed 1,078 yards this year. He has rushed for 100 or more yards five times this season, including the last three games and is the league leader in both rushing and all-purpose yards with 1.374. Howard is 13th in the nation in rushing yards per game rushing and ranks 15th in the FCS in APY.
A native of Knoxville, TN, Howard has been a scoring machine for Central this fall. He is 12th in the nation with 15 touchdowns. His 11 rushing scores are 24th best in FCS, and he leads the NEC in both of those categories, as well as in points per game, at 8.2.
Stoll has had a career year on the defensive side of the ball, leading the team with 86 total tackles and 50 solo stops. He ranks fourth in the NEC in both of those categories. Stoll blocked a field goal in the final seconds to preserve a win over LIU, helping propel the Blue Devils to the NEC crown.
A Lafayette, NJ native, Stoll is has recorded 15.5 tackles for loss this season. It is the third most TFL in a single-season for a Blue Devil since the turn of the century. His 1.29 TFL per game is 17th amongst FCS players.
On Monday third-year head coach Adam Lechtenberg was named one of 15 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented to the FCS Coach of the Year. He was a finalist in 2024 as well.
CCSU, 8-4 overall, will travel to Rhode Island on Saturday, to take on the 9th seeded Rams. Game time, on ESPN+, is set for 12:00 pm.
