After a record-breaking inaugural season, Montana wide receiver Jerry Louie-McGee has been named a finalist for the 2016 STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award, recognizing the FCS national freshman of the year. Louie-McGee, a redshirt freshman from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, broke two records in his first year playing for the Grizzlies.
Against Cal Poly, he shattered Josh Paffhausen’s 1997 record of 15 receptions in a game with 21 catches against the Mustangs. He also broke Joe Douglass’ 1996 season record for average receptions-per-game (7.45), finishing the 2016 season averaging 8.9 catches-per-game. Louie-McGee was also just ten catches shy of breaking Douglass’ school record of 82 pass receptions in a season, finishing 2016 with 73 catches, despite missing three games. He now sits at No. 6 on the all-time season passing receptions list.
At Northern Iowa, Louie-McGee sprinted onto the national scene with an impressive, if not eye-popping 81-yard punt return for a touchdown, making every player for the Panthers miss at least one tackle on his way to the end zone.
After his breakout performance at UNI, he was named the Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week. One week later, he broke Montana’s record for receptions in a game with 21 at Cal Poly, totaling 155 yards and two touchdowns through the air, while also returning kicks for 114 yards to give him 275 all-purpose yards. His 21 receptions also tied the Big Sky Conference record, set by Montana State’s David Pandt in 1985. For his efforts, Louie-McGee was named the STATS FCS National Freshman Player of the Week.
Louie-McGee finished the 2016 season as Montana’s leading receiver with 651 yards on the year, averaging 81.4 yards per game. He missed three games during the season with an injury, not playing against Mississippi Valley State, Sacramento State or Northern Arizona.
He is one of 23 finalists for the Jerry Rice Award. Final voting for the award will take place Jan. 7-9. The winners of the STATS FCS Awards will be announced at the annual national awards banquet in Frisco, Texas, on the eve of the national championship game.
Montana quarterback Brady Gustafson and defensive end Caleb Kidder were also nominees for the Walter Payton Award for Offensive Player of the Year and Buck Buchanan Award for Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. They were not selected as finalists.
This is the second-straight year Montana has had a finalist for a STATS FCS National Award. Tyrone Holmes was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2015.
JERRY RICE AWARD FINALISTS
(FCS Freshman Player of the Year)
Tyrie Adams, QB, Western Carolina
Jordan Bentley, RB, Alabama A&M
Marlon Bridges, S, Jacksonville State
Elijah Burress, QB, Campbell
Stephen Calvert, QB, Liberty
Jaylan Foster, CB, Gardner-Webb)
Chase Fourcade, QB, Nicholls
A.J. Hines, RB, Duquesne
Torrey Hunt, CB, North Dakota
Pop Lacey, S, New Hampshire
Sully Laiche, DE, Nicholls
Joe Logan, RB, Northern Arizona
Jerry Louie-McGee, WR, Montana
Steven Newbold, WR, Tennessee State
Corey Parker, S, William & Mary
Alex Probert, PK, Liberty
Max Roberts, LB, Fordham
Christian Rozeboom, LB, South Dakota State
Shane Simpson, RB/RS, Towson
Prince Smith Jr., CB, New Hampshire
Gee Stanley, LB, Robert Morris
Ryan Stanley, QB, Florida A&M
Nathan Stewart, WR, Sam Houston State
