LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Caden Walters, a senior quarterback for the University of Sioux Falls Football Team, is among 36 student-athletes in NCAA DII nominated for the 2019 Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II College Football Player of the Year.
 
Ten nominees hail from Super Region 1, four from Super Region 2, 10 from Super Region 3 and 12 from Super Region 4 which includes Walters, who was a captain and first team All-NSIC quarterback for USF. He helped lead the Cougars to the NCAA DII Playoffs.

 

"We are incredibly proud of Caden (Walters) for his outstanding play and leadership this season," said USF Head Coach Jon Anderson. "He worked hard this summer and came in prepared and helped lead us to the playoffs. He consistently showed the ability to make crucial plays to keep drives alive. He was selected all-league for his consistency, resilience and propensity for making big plays with both his arm and feet," added Anderson.
 
The sports information directors at the 167 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions nominate and vote on the award. The 36 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two players from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on Monday, December 2. The winner of the 2019 award will be announced on Friday,  December 20 and the winner will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club awards banquet on January 9, 2020. The sports information directors at their respective schools nominate candidates. The SIDs in those Super Regions vote for their top five candidates. The winner is then determined in a nation-wide vote of the Division II sports information  directors.
 
The group of 36 candidates includes 13 quarterbacks, 10 running backs, seven wide receivers, three defensive linemen and three linebackers. The list features 20 seniors, 10 juniors, five sophomores and one freshman. This is the sixth time a USF student-athlete has been nominated for the award in eight seasons at DII. Gabriel Watson was a finalist a year ago and finished fifth in the balloting.
 
USF quarterback Caden Walters, a senior from Dodge City, Kan., who was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Oct. 14, finished the regular season leading NSIC in four passing categories. Walters also leads the NSIC in completion percentage (61.1 percent) and led the NSIC with 25 TD passes.
 
Walters completed 171-of-280 passes with 25 TDs against three interceptions and is first in the NSIC and 13th in DII pass efficiency ranking of 162.7. With 2,925 total yards or 243.8 per game, Walters ranks second in the NSIC in total offense per game. He has a career-high of 334 yards total offense in the win over Minnesota Crookston and 320 yards against No. 4 Minnesota State.  Walters had just three interceptions this season and had a pass streak of 148 straight passes without an interception end against Wayne State in the second quarter of a 41-21 USF win on Nov. 16.
 
Over the last eight games, Walters has been a standout with a 179.02 pass efficiency ranking. He completed 103-of-172 passes (60.0 percent) for 1,599 yards with 22 touchdowns and just one interception as he led the Cougars to a 6-2 mark, which includes only three point losses to No. 4 Minnesota State (42-39) and No. 7 Colorado School of Mines (24-21, DII playoffs). One of the league's top dual-threat signal callers, Walters has 120 carries for 447 yards (3.7 avg.) with eight TDs. He has 170 carries for 592 yards and 10 TDs in his career.  As for his career passing numbers, he finished 316-of-504 for 62.7 percent for 4,505 yards with 39 TDs and 10 interceptions in his career. He ranks ninth in school history in passing yards and 12th in total offense with 5,120 yards (714 plays, 7.2 yards per play – fourth all-time).
 
The Hill Trophy is named for the late Harlon Hill - the former University of North Alabama standout - who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears.