VERMILLION, S.D. — Redshirt sophomore running back L.J. Phillips Jr. has made himself a national name this season, stepping into the starting role back in week three, being named a finalist for the 2025 Walter Payton Award.
 
Phillips Jr. has played in all 12 games this season with 10 starts. All season long he has paced the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in carries and rushing yards, finishing the regular season slate with 1,556 yards on 250 carries, averaging 6.22 yards per rush.
 
He's the only running back in the conference to notch 200+ carries, 1,000 rushing yards, 100+ yards per game, and a 6.0 or better yards per rush average. He's just one of two rushers in the league in total, joined by Youngstown State quarterback Beau Brungard.
 
His breakout game came in his first career start against Northern Colorado (Sept. 13) where he rushed for 301 yards on 35 carries. A week later, he set another career-high with four rushing scores against Drake (Sept. 20).
 
Entering the FCS Playoffs this weekend, the Wichita native sits top-10 nationally in four rushing categories: total yards, carries, yards per game, and rushing touchdowns (15).
 
He became just the third USD back in the DI FCS era to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, while becoming the quickest to do so in just eight games. He's set a new Division I era record with his 1,500+ yards to date, while having seven 100-yard rushing games. He currently sits tied second in the DI era for most career 100-yard rushing games (7).
 
Phillips Jr. is one of 30 finalists for the award this season, with each of the 13 FCS conferences represented by a finalist.
 
Nine running backs highlights the 30 finalists from across the national with Phillips Jr. the only one from the MVFC. In total, the MVFC has five total finalists. MVFC champion North Dakota State leads the conference with two finalists.
 
ABOUT THE WALTER PAYTON AWARD
In its 39^th season, and affectionately known as the Heisman of the FCS, was named after legendary running back Walter Payton, who starred at Jackson State as part of his Hall of Fame career.