Here is the list of all 25 finalists:

https://theanalyst.com/articles/jerry-rice-award-freshman-finalists-fcs-football-2025

Offensively, if we're talking numbers I mean it's between Atkinson and Pinnick --- both are Top 8 teams and in the playoff BYE...with Pinnick being out for the NoCo game, I guess you give it to the passing monster at Mercer in Atkinson, but Pinnick has also navigated a Big Sky schedule rather than a Southern schedule, so for me, that holds more weight, and he has 312 yds rushing with rushing TDs on his resume as well -- but whatever they decide looks like it's a deserving winner. Man, Mercer's schedule is pretty weak though.

3,400 passing yards and 34 TDs passes the sexy-test. Awards folks love sexy stats.
I agree, both dudes are studs.

Yes I get the worries about Plough but I have more questions about Pinnick. Great QBs are the most important part of an American football team and they are scarce. He is exceptional and will be relentlessly contacted at the end of the season if he enters the portal. But even if he doesn’t are we all so naive to believe that some SEC or ACC team will try and contact him behind the scenes, that is if he hasn’t been already? College football has become brutal in terms of recruiting these days and Caden with 3 years of college football eligibility left will be very attractive. My only hope is that if Plough is staying at UCD he will as well. Just Hope Pinnick and his family are Okay financially otherwise the NIL money will be too good to pass up.

I guess it's time to see if the "Davis guy" mantra holds true. We do tend to have less players transferring out than most schools in this day and age of college football. I'm glad I'm not in the situation of choosing between Davis and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars though.

I don't know him, but his family is local, and he's excelling. Why ruin a great thing at QB central? I can see him considering it more fully next year w 2 years under his belt.

Don't forget, the NDSU QB drafted round 1 by the 49ers. FCS QBs go to The Show all the time. Going to a big program is a huge risk especially w rosters loaded with 4 star and 5 star QBs. You can get lost. Coach Gould had high hopes for Jordan Allen, he went from here, to SFCC, then Tennessee, then Weber?

I have faith in the culture that has been built to keep players around. If these guys are having a great experience playing a lot and winning games with their boys, that's tough to beat. All these guys seem like they really love the program. It gets me fired up as an alum just watching it.
I'd imagine its a different situation all together at an FBS football factory.

As for Pinnick, he's gets to be the man on the gridiron and on the baseball team playing CF. Fam gets to see every game. Tough situation to beat. Hopefully the program can find some $ to help him stay. But I got a good feeling about guys continuing to stick around especially if they see Plough ignore the Cal job. That would be good for morale.

And Jacob is getting recognition as well!

Well deserved.

FCS ranking
Forced Fumbles = #11 (tied)
Sacks = 14 (tied)
TFL = 15

someone offered my kid $1M, I’d be like gotta go!!

And what happens if it doesn't work out? Not every transfer succeeds. Wonder kid phenom Marc Hicks went unsuccessfully from Cal to Ohio State.

CP ain't at Portland State, we have a very successful and long history of putting QBs in the NFL, and I'm sure Coach Plough and alums will sweeten his deal.

I get what your saying but this is college football now. Until Davis moves up and even then, we are going to lose kids to bigger schools. It would be great if they stayed but if your being honest with yourself you’d realize taking $1M to play football in a higher league is the correct business decision.

Too many factors we're not aware of, but why not enjoy our current success? If he moved he would have a new HC, new OC, new system, teammates, terminology, focus, internal rivalries, and possibly be 2,000 - 3,000 miles away from home. And these big time programs have a LOT of pressure and media coverage. Would he also lose his chance to play baseball? In a way Davis is still in a little bubble w all the tools to succeed.

https://x.com/JaronKeawe/status/1993446348512010424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1993446348512010424%7Ctwgr%5E0df0d89003453a5ff9cf91195d780129049ffdc2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbearinsider.com%2Fforums%2F2%2Ftopics%2F131068%2F5

I'm not sure how good Pinnick is on the baseball field. If he is thinking about being drafted, it might not be smart to take $1m and give up baseball (no FBS program investing that kind of money is going to allow him to play baseball).

Turning down $1m to stay at Davis isn't that crazy if he can play football and be a 1st-3rd round draft pick + sign for $1m-$3m after his Junior year.
Again, I don't know how good he is at baseball.

it’s just business. Nothing personal. It would be great if he stayed but if he leaves I’ll wish him well. Let’s say he goes to Oregon and plays well. UC Davis will be mentioned a bunch on national broadcasts. That’s free pub and gives us a solid reputation.

And we may increase his NIL.

People aren’t getting it. There’s no deal. There isn’t enough money to feed the players adequately. And these guys are getting offered more money to play in college than any of the Davis qbs made in the NFL. Power 4 football is pro football now and most kids grow up wanting to play pro ball.

With the talk about Cal, for every Mendoza who is at Indiana, there's a player like Jayden Ott who transfered and couldn't make Oklahoma's lineup.

What decade in life are you?

How did Caden not get first or second team big sky?

Most these kids will never play pro football. Caden is pretty much just too small.forbthe next level

clearly you have never met 5’9 Bryce Young.

There,was al so Doug Flutie

How tall do you think he is? I admit he doesn’t look to be 6’0” and weigh 200lbs that the roster says. The Davis roster usually not prone to exageration.
Example Christian Knoos who was a highly regarded recruit this year was listed on 247sports as 6’0 is on the roster as 5’10”
Maybe someone has stood next to Pinnick or watched a basketball game in person when he was a senior in HS.

We have a freshman QB on the roster who is 5'9" from SoCal.

Anyone have a list of outstanding Aggie footballers who could have left and didn't? Lan Larison? the Conners twins? etc.

Rolf B was going to leave to play soccer, but the two coaches and a pilot worked it all out.

If your point is that Bryce Young made the NFL and got drafted highly (in his case, 1st overall), I've got no counter. But Bryce Young was also the top QB recruit in his class. Pinnick is not that.

There are always exceptions to the rule and that doesn't mean it's realistic for others to do the same.

That being said, I do agree with you on Pinnick taking the money if offered. Unless his family has money, if he's offered significantly more to go to a D1 school, he should probably take it.

You said Caden was too small for the next level. I was just pointing out there are multiple players his size in both FBS and the NFL. It's not that uncommon.