Charles Grant honored as a Walter Payton Award finalist

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary All-America left tackle Charles Grant added another impressive honor to his long list of accolades when he was selected as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football.

Grant is one of 35 outstanding players and the only offensive lineman to receive the award this season.

Grant, one of the top prospects in this spring’s NFL Draft, recently became the first player in the country to receive and accept an invitation to the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

According to PFF, Grant was among the top-graded tackles in the country in the FCS this season and helped W&M’s offense rank fourth nationally in rushing (232.8) and 25th in total offense (413.2). .

Grant, a consensus preseason All-America selection, was also invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl after allowing just two sacks over the past three seasons.

The four-year starter and two-time first-team All-CAA selection was the conference’s top tackle in pass-blocking efficiency last season, allowing just one sack in 334 pass-blocking snaps. Additionally, he finished the fall with a 92 percent mark and 40 pancakes en route to helping W&M rank 13th nationally in rushing (196.9).

His impressive junior season followed his breakthrough sophomore season in which he allowed no sacks in 13 starts and helped W&M rank third nationally in rushing (265.8) and fourth in fewest sacks allowed per game ( 0.77) landed.

A national media panel will select the winner of the Payton Award, which will be announced at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet on January 4 in Frisco, Texas.

The Payton Award, in its 38th season and known as the FCS Heisman, is named after legendary running back Walter Payton, who played at Jackson State during his Hall of Fame career. Previous honorees include Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo, Cooper Kupp and Trey Lance.