Eastern Illinois QB Garoppolo wins Payton Award
Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo won the 2013 Walter Payton Award.
The honor is the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy for Football Championship Subdivision athletes. Garoppolo finished ahead of Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams and Towson running back Terrance West. Eastern Washington and Towson, which knocked off Garoppolo's Panthers last week, meet in the FCS semifinals Saturday in Cheney, Wash.
"I'm happy for Jimmy, his family and his teammates for all the success he has had on the field this season and these types of awards are rightly deserved," coach Dino Babers said.
Garoppolo set school records for touchdowns in a season (53), single-season passing yards (4,489) and led the FCS in both categories. He also leaves EIU with the career passing yards record, and joins former EIU quarterback Tony Romo as the only Ohio Valley Conference players named Payton Award winners. Romo won the award in 2002.
Garoppolo could be invited to play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., in January. He is the sixth-ranked quarterback prospect in a deep 2014 NFL Draft class and 70th overall, according to NFLDraftScout.com, which offers this evaluation of the 6-3, 220-pounder: "Good-sized, rhythm quarterback with excellent accuracy, timing and a quick release that really helps him be efficient from the pocket. Sets up quickly and shows good lower-body movement skills to evade pressure and deliver from different platforms."
Eastern Illinois was 11-1 this season with the lone loss coming against Northern Illinois. The Panthers beat bowl-bound San Diego State by 21 points and Garoppolo accounted for 25.8 points and 377.9 total yards per game in the regular season.
