Philly Leader

Sophomore running back Malachi Hosley has been named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the National Offensive Player of the Year in Division I FCS college football. The announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon.

The award, now in its 38th season and often referred to as the Heisman of the FCS, honors legendary running back Walter Payton, who played at Jackson State during his Hall of Fame career. Past recipients include notable players such as Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo, Cooper Kupp, and Trey Lance. The winner will be selected by a national voting panel and announced at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet on January 4 in Frisco, Texas.

Hosley is one of three finalists from the Ivy League this year. He joins Cornell quarterback Jameson Wang and Harvard quarterback Jaden Craig in this recognition.

During his second season with Penn's Quakers, Hosley led all rushing categories in the Ivy League after being named Ivy League Rookie of the Year and earning first-team All-Ivy honors in 2023. He started all 10 games and achieved significant statistics including leading carries (191), yards (1,192), touchdowns (9), yards per carry (6.2), and yards per game (119.2). His total yardage was notably higher than Columbia's Joey Giorgi who finished second with 860 yards.

Hosley's performance ranked him fourth in FCS football for rushing yards per game, 11th for total rushing yards, 13th for all-purpose yards per game (128.10), and 16th for yards per carry.

He had seven games with over 100 rushing yards compared to four such games last year. His nine touchdowns are also a personal best since Karekin Brooks scored nine in 2019.

A highlight of Hosley's season was his performance against Cornell where he rushed for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

Penn ended their season with an overall record of 4-6, tying for sixth place alongside Brown and Princeton within the Ancient Eight conference standings.

For updates on Penn football activities, fans can follow @PennFB on X (formerly Twitter), @PennFootball on Instagram or visit PennAthletics.com online.