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Stan Becton | krikyasport.com | January 3, 2026

Youngstown State's Beau Brungard wins the 2025 Walter Payton Award, top moments

Youngstown State QB Beau Brungard throws six TD passes in FCS playoff loss

Youngstown State quarterback Beau Brungard won the 2025 Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in FCS football, beating out fellow top-three finalists Cole Payton (North Dakota State) and Taron Dickens (Western Carolina). Brungard is the first Youngstown State player to win the award in its 39-year history. Brungard received the Payton Award two days before the 2025-26 FCS Championship game.

PAYTON AWARD: Complete history of the top FCS offensive honor

In 12 regular season games, the Penguin quarterback completed 254 of 368 passes (69 percent) for 2,917 yards, 23 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He also ran for 1,378 yards and 24 touchdowns, leading Youngstown State to the FCS playoffs.

Brungard is the 28th quarterback to win the Payton Award — the most of any position — since the award debuted in 1987. Quarterbacks have won the Payton Award in each of the last 10 seasons and 21 of the last 22 seasons, with wide receiver Cooper Kupp's 2015 win being the lone exception.

As the 2025 Walter Payton Award winner, Brungard joins an elite fraternity of FCS greats including Steve McNair (Alcorn State, 1994), Adrian Peterson (Georgia Southern, 1999), Brian Westbrook (Villanova, 2001), Tony Romo (Eastern Illinois, 2002), Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington, 2015) and more.

MORE AWARDS: Buck Buchanan Award history | Jerry Rice Award history

Top moments

See some more of Brungard's top moments from 2025 below.

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