Michael Vick and Norfolk State have a player who is expected to have a standout season on the gridiron. Spartan running back Kevon King has been named to the Walter Payton Award watch list, appearing amongst several other FCS stars. King is one of the players who are returning to the Spartans from Dawson Odoms's coaching tenure.

Now in its 39th season, the award, often called the “Heisman of the FCS,” is named after legendary running back Walter Payton, who made his mark at Jackson State during his Hall of Fame career. Previous winners include Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Cooper Kupp. Last year's recipient was Tommy Mellott from Montana State. No HBCU player has won it since Alcorn State's Steve McNair in 1994.

King's appearance on this list is because of his standout junior season last year. A standout All-MEAC Second Team selection, he started as the Spartans' running back in 11 of 12 games, racking up 944 yards and 10 touchdowns on 161 carries with an impressive 5.9 yards per carry average. He finished third in the MEAC for both rushing yards and touchdowns, surpassing 100 rushing yards in four games.

He delivered remarkable performances throughout the season, including a career-best 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge against FAMU, featuring an impressive 82-yard touchdown run—the fourth-longest in school history. He also recorded 137 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries against Virginia State, scored two touchdowns each in games against Towson and Delaware State, and added another 144 rushing yards on 21 carries against South Carolina State. He is set to be a key contributor to Vick's offense in his first year at the helm of the Spartans.

The three HBCU players who are on the list are listed below.

PlayerPositionSchoolClassHeightWeightConference
JaCobian MorganQBJackson StateGrad6-4227SWAC
Travis Terrell Jr.RBJackson StateSo.5-8165SWAC
Kevon KingRBNorfolk StateSr.5-11200MEAC
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