CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Football quarterback Jaden Craig has been named to the 30-player 2025 Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List, Stats Perform announced today. The honor is presented annually to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football.
 
A finalist for the award in 2024, Craig is one of 10 signal callers on the watch list, one of two players from the Ivy League (Samuel Musungu, Cornell), and the only athlete from a state of Massachusetts school. This marks the first time the Crimson has had an athlete make the initial Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List. Aidan Bourget '23, however, was added to the list midseason in 2022, and was later a finalist for the honor.
 
A senior from New Jersey, Craig comes into 2025 ranked second nationally among returning FCS quarterbacks in TD/INT ratio (7.67), TD percentage (8.2) and fewest interceptions (3; min. 275 att.). The Phil Steele Preseason Third-Team All-American also ranks third among returners in yards per game (243.0), TDs (23) and yards per completion (14.38), fourth in QB rating (158.8), and eighth in passing yards (2,430).
 
Across 10 appearances in 2024, including one that was cut short due to a first-quarter injury (at Penn), Craig was 169-for-279 passing for 2,430 yards and 23 touchdowns against three interceptions. He threw for multiple TDs seven times and had a season-best four in wins at Cornell and vs. Princeton. Although he only had one rushing touchdown in 2024, he has eight in his career after scampering for seven scores in 2023.
 
The Walter Payton Award, in its 39th season and affectionately known as the Heisman of the FCS, is named for the legendary running back who starred at Jackson State as part of his Hall-of-Fame career. Past recipients include Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo and Cooper Kupp; Montana State's Tommy Mellott was last season's winner. 
 
All 13 FCS conferences are represented on the watch list, which includes nine past finalists. This season's recipient will be announced at the Stats Perform National Awards Banquet on Jan. 3, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee.