Mercer quarterback Braden Atkinson '29 became the first Southern Conference player and first player in Mercer football history to win the coveted Jerry Rice Award, an award that honors the best freshman football player in the FCS, on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
Atkinson finished the regular season with with 3,448 passing yards and 34 touchdowns, both all-time school records. He also finished second in the SoCon in passing yards, touchdowns and completions per game, all behind Western Carolina University's redshirt sophomore Taron Dickens.
The first year of his collegiate career began on the bench as he was a backup to DJ Smith '26. After Smith struggled in the first two games of the season, Atkinson took over signal-caller duties in the team's first conference matchup against Wofford College.
It wasn't pretty, but the Rolesville, N.C. native got the victory in a close 22-21 battle. He finished the game with 311 passing yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. His deep-threat ability began to take shape in his first start, as he completed eight passes of 15 or more yards that day, including the game winner to running back CJ Miller '27.
Atkinson took the reins once again the following game against The Citadel and never looked back as he led the team to a 38-0 shutout. The true freshman finished with 305 yards and four touchdown passes on an 82.9% completion percentage. His chemistry with wide receiver Adjatay Dabbs '28 evolved as Dabbs finished with seven receptions for 100 yards and two scores.
Mercer then began a seven-game winning streak, largely due to Atkinson's exceptional play. During that stretch, he threw for 2,662 yards and 28 touchdowns to just three interceptions. The Bears' offense during this time averaged nearly 50 points a game, never dropping below 38.
Previous winners of the Jerry Rice Award in its 15-year history include Super Bowl MVP wide receiver Cooper Kupp, as well as this year's No. 1 overall draft pick in the NFL Draft, Cam Ward. The honor has been a springboard for the brightest young talents in the FCS in recent years as nearly all of the awardees have been courted away from by FBS schools that can offer higher competition – and richer name, image and likeness deals.
Atkinson accumulated 51 out of 54 first-place votes in the award decision. He will look to lead the Bears to their deepest playoff berth in school history in the FCS Quarterfinals this Saturday, Dec. 6, against the University of South Dakota.
Jacob Hossler '28 is an English and Law and Public Policy double major at Mercer University. While not serving as the Sports Editor at The Cluster, he enjoys running, writing and photography.
