‘Much bigger than me’: Idaho QB ends season with national award named after Jerry Rice
Gevani McCoy had only one scholarship offer coming out of Lawndale High School in Baldwin Hills, California.
As it turns out, all he needed was that one chance.
The 6-foot, 175-pound redshirt freshman quarterback led the University of Idaho football team to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 1995 and just earned the 2022 Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award, which is presented to the national freshman of the year in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
“This award, it just means so much,” McCoy said during a Zoom press conference Wednesday afternoon. “It’s such a great thing to be awarded, and it just means so much to me. But I feel like this award is much bigger than me. It’s for our Vandal family.”
McCoy earned the starting job — beating out sophomore CJ Jordan and South Dakota State transfer J’Bore Gibbs — for a team that had five consecutive losing seasons and few expectations under first-year coach Jason Eck. But support from Eck and a strong belief within the program resulted in the team’s first winning record since 2016 at 7-5, including a 6-2 Big Sky Conference record.
McCoy threw for 2,791 yards and 27 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 11 games. He also ran for 89 yards and three touchdowns and caught a 14-yard touchdown on a throwback pass.
He broke the Idaho single-season completion percentage record by going 203-for-297 (68.4%) and set the single-game record for completion percentage in a win against Northern Arizona, going 18-for-20 (90%).
“We are extremely proud of Vani’s development,” Eck said in a news release. “He was a catalyst for our offense that kept improving all year. He is a tremendous leader who plays with great emotional stability. Hats off to Vani and (offensive coordinator Luke) Schleusner for the great 2022 season. I look forward to the future with Vani at the helm.”
A 54-member panel voted on the 12th annual award — named after legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice, who starred at Mississippi Valley State as part of his Hall of Fame career. UAlbany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger finished second and Saint Francis wide receiver Makai Jackson third in the voting. McCoy will be honored at the FCS National Awards banquet on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.
“To think back at this time last year, I really didn’t know what to expect and what I was gonna get out of the season,” McCoy said. “But it’s just been such a great ride. I’m just so thankful, like I said before, for this coaching staff. They came in and changed our whole culture, and they’ve had a very big impact on our team.”
