CARBONDALE, Ill. – Senior quarterback DJ Williams of the Southern Illinois University football team has been named a finalist for the 2025 Walter Payton Award, which is awarded to the national offensive player of the year in the FCS.

Williams is the 10th Saluki in program history to be a finalist for the award and is the first since quarterback Mark Iannotti in 2015. This is the fifth time an SIU quarterback has been a finalist, as the senior joins a list that includes Iannotti, Joel Sambursky (2004, 2005), and Nick Hill (2007).

Southern Illinois’ highest-ever finishers for the award have been a pair of running backs who both finished third: Deji Karim in 2009 and Arkee Whitlock in 2006.

Williams had one of SIU’s best-ever seasons at the quarterback position in 2025. The Harvey, Ill., native passed for 2846 yards and 22 touchdowns with five interceptions while also rushing for 847 yards and 18 touchdowns.

The 2846 passing yards are the fourth-most in a single season in program history, while the 22 touchdowns are tied for the fifth-most with Iannotti (’14), Sambursky (’05), and Scott Gabbert (’92). Williams had three 300-yard passing games in 2025, including a season-high 361 at Youngstown State on Nov. 8.

Williams set a new SIU single-season quarterback record with his 847 rushing yards, passing Iannotti who had 716 in 2015. The senior’s 18 rushing touchdowns are also the most a Saluki quarterback has ever had in a season and are tied for fourth all-time with Karim (’09).

At Illinois State on Nov. 22, Williams recorded four rushing touchdowns, which are tied for the third-most in a single game in program history. The quarterback rushed for multiple scores in five games and had over 100 rushing yards on three separate occasions.

Across the FCS, Williams was tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns as well as total offense (307.8 yards-per-game), second in points responsible for (246), seventh in total points scored (110), 11th in passing yards, and 18th in passing touchdowns.

Williams is one of 30 finalists for the Walter Payton Award. The winner will be selected by a national voting panel and will be announced at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Show on Jan. 3, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.