UIW quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. took the college football world by storm with highlight-reel plays while leading the Cardinals to a historic season and an appearance in the national semifinals. Saturday, Scott added another trophy to his collection when he was named the Walter Payton Award winner.

The Walter Payton Award is given to the most outstanding offensive player in FCS and is considered the “Heisman Trophy” of the FCS ranks. Payton was a standout at Jackson State before becoming one of the greatest running backs in NFL history with the Chicago Bears. The award was first presented to Kenny Gamble of Colgate in 1987. Scott is the 35th winner of the award.

Scott becomes the third player from a Texas sub-FBS program to win the prestigious award. Former Stephen F. Austin quarterback Jeremy Moses won the award in 2010. Sam Houston State quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe is one of only two players to win the award twice, claiming the honor in 2016 and 2017.

A native of Zachary, La., Scott completed 322-of-454 pass attempts (71 percent) for 4,686 yards with 60 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. He added 712 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing and registered one reception on the season.

Scott is a remarkable story of perseverance. He began his collegiate career at LSU in 2016 before transferring to East Mississippi Community College in 2017, where he led EMCC to an 11-1 record and the NJCAA national title.

After not seeing any playing time with Missouri in 2018, Scott transferred to Nicholls, where he redshirted the 2019 season due to transfer rules. Following his graduation from Nicholls, Scott transferred to UIW.

Other notable winners of the Walter Payton Award include Cooper Cupp (2015), Jimmy Garoppolo (2013), Taylor Heinicke (2012), Tony Romo (2002), and Steve McNair (1994).