Southern Utah University senior wide receiver Tysson Poots has been named to the 2010 Walter Payton Award Watch List, The Sports Network has announced.

            The Walter Payton Award is bestowed annually by TSN upon the top offensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

            Poots, a graduate student from Henderson, Nev. (Coronado HS) is the nation's (FCS) leading returning receiver in yards per game, receptions per game and scoring after finishing second in the FCS last year in all three categories.

            Poots, who enters the season as SUU's career leader in receptions and receiving yards, averaged 9.4 receptions, 120.1 yards and 10.0 points per game last season when the team ranked 10^th in passing, 11^th in scoring and 16^th in total offense.

            Last season Poots also earned Fabulous-50 recognition from the College Sporting News and second-team all-America honors from The Sports Network. He was named first-team all-Great West Conference for the second straight season despite missing the first two games with an injury but he scored at least one touchdown in every game in which he played and broke the 100-yard receiving mark in seven, finishing the season with 85 catches for 1,081 yards and 15 touchdowns and setting single-season school records for receptions and touchdown receptions and leading the GWC in all three categories.

            In 2008 he earned first-team all-conference and honorable mention all-America honors after setting then-single-season school records for receptions (83) and touchdown receptions (14) and establishing the receiving yards mark with 1,236. That season he ranked third in the nation in receptions per game (7.55) and receiving yards per game (112.36) and was 24th in scoring at 7.64 ppg. He also set the SUU record for receptions in a game with 16 at Cal Poly - where his 246 receiving yards were the third-best total in school history - and tied the SUU single-game TDs record at UC Davis when he pulled in four passes for scores.

            During his SUU career Poots has 197 receptions for 2,740 yards and 32 touchdowns.

            Poots is Southern Utah's first Payton Watch List honoree and the only representative of the Great West Conference on the list. The winner of this year's award, which is sponsored by Fathead.com, will be announced on the eve of the FCS national championship game.

2010 Walter Payton Award Watch List (as of 7/12/10)

K.J. Black, QB, Prairie View A&M

Thomas DeMarco, QB, Old Dominion

Pat Devlin, QB, Delaware

Chris Evans, RB, Samford

Jonathan Grimes, RB, William & Mary

Michael Herrick, QB, Northern Arizona

Cameron Higgins, QB, Weber State

Ben Ijalana, OT, Villanova

Taiwan Jones, RB, E. Washington

Malcom Long, QB, South Carolina State

Kyle Minett, RB, South Dakota
State
Devon Moore, RB, Appalachian State

Jeremy Moses, QB, Stephen F. Austin

Chase Reynolds, RB, Montana

Scott Riddle, QB, Elon

Andrew Selle, QB, Montana

Matt Szczur, WR/Ret., Villanova

Tyson Poots, WR, Southern Utah

Steve Valentino, Sr., Dayton

Chris Whitney, QB, Villanova