EASTON, Pa. – Junior running back Jamar Curtis has been named to the 35-member preseason watch list for the 2024 Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually by Stats Perform to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS football.
 
The award, in its 38th season and affectionately known as the Heisman of the FCS, is named for legendary running back Walter Payton, who starred at Jackson State as part of his Hall of Fame career. Past recipients include Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo, Cooper Kupp and Trey Lance.
 
Curtis was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award in 2023, when he was the nation's second-leading rusher with 132.7 yards per game. He was selected to the Stats Perform Preseason All-America First Team on Monday and named the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year on July 24.
 
In 2023, the Film and Media Studies major set a Lafayette single-season rushing record, carrying the ball for 1,460 yards and 15 touchdowns while breaking a 30-year-old Lafayette single-season rushing mark. He added two more touchdowns through the air, finishing with 19 catches for 164 receiving yards. A native of Waldorf, Md., Curtis collected All-America laurels from four difference media organizations following the season.
 
Lafayette is coming off a Patriot League title in 2023 when the Leopards advanced to the NCAA FCS Playoffs and were ranked as high as No. 16 in the national polls. The Maroon and White, who welcome back eight starters on each side of the ball, open the season at Buffalo on Aug. 29.