Cole Kelley, who started his college career at Arkansas and battled for the starting quarterback position during the 2018 season with Ty Storey, has picked up some notable hardware.

Kelley left Arkansas and transferred to Southeastern Louisiana, and has flourished. He put up big numbers this past season and led FCS with 2,662 yards passing and 27 touchdowns responsible for (18 passing, seven rushing and two receiving), according to Southeastern Louisiana.

Kelley on Saturday was received the Walter Payton Award winner in an announcement from Stats Perform on Saturday. Kelley is the 34th recipient of the Payton Award, given to the best offensive player in the FCS and named for the legendary Chicago Bears running back, who played collegiately at Jackson State.

Kelley becomes the 34th recipient of the Payton Award, bestowed upon the best offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision and named for the legendary Chicago Bears running back, who played collegiately at Jackson State.

Kelley also ranks among the NCAA leaders in passing efficiency (6th), passing touchdowns (4th), passing yards per game (2nd), rushing touchdowns (11th), total offense (3rd), total touchdowns scored (6th) and yards per pass attempt (6th). He passed for 300 yards or more in all seven games and topped 400 yards on three different occasions.

“It was surreal and I got goosebumps when I heard my name announced,” Kelley said. “I was thinking about how many people helped me get to this point, especially my family and all my coaches. I wouldn’t have made it to this point without all the support from (SLU head) Coach (Frank) Scelfo and (SLU offensive coordinator) Coach (Greg) Stevens.”