FootballScoop is proud to announce that Tyler Walker (Montana State) is the 2024 FootballScoop FCS Coordinator of the Year, presented by AstroTurf as selected by prior winners.
Montana State will play for its first national championship in 40 years on Monday night, and they'll bring FCS's most threatening offense with them to Frisco, Texas.
The attack starts on the ground for the Bobcats. On the year, Montana State has run the ball 686 times for 4,521 yards with 51 touchdowns. Their 6.59 yards per carry leads FCS, and their 301.4 yards per game ranks second; Montana State's 51 rushing touchdowns are the most in the nation -- by eight.
Walker's unit opened the year by rushing for 362 yards on 7.7 a carry in a 35-31 win over FBS New Mexico, and they haven't slowed down from there. Montana State rushed for 339 against Utah Tech, 366 on 10.2 a carry against Maine, 360 versus Idaho, 326 in a Brawl of the Wild win over rival Montana, and an astonishing 511 yards and seven touchdowns on 10 a carry in a 49-7 drubbing of Sacramento State.
The Bobcats eviscerate opposing defenses through a three-headed rushing attack. Sophomore Scottre Humphrey is FCS's sixth-leading rusher with 1,360 yards (7.23 a carry) and 15 touchdowns, while freshman running back Adam Jones registered 1,155 yards and 14 scores, and quarterback Tommy Mellott has added 915 yards and 14 touchdowns.
That 3-headed monster has allowed Mellott to make hay through the air. He's FCS's most efficient passer, completing 190-of-276 attempts (68.8 percent) for 2,564 yards (9.29 per attempt) with 29 touchdowns against two interceptions.
Add it all up and you get a unit that ranks second nationally in rushing, second in passing efficiency, second in total offense, second on third down, first in scoring, and first in red zone efficiency.
Montana State averages 41 points per outing, with a 49-point performance against UT-Martin in the opening round of the FCS playoffs and 52 points versus Idaho in the quarterfinals. Most impressive is Montana State's consistency: the last time a defense limited the Bobcats to less than 30 points was Nov. 18, 2023.
Mellott is a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, the FCS equivalent to the Heisman, and has won the Walter Camp Player of the Year award. A unanimous First Team All-American, he was also proclaimed the Big Sky Conference's Offensive Player of the Year. Guard Marcus Wehr joined Mellott as a unanimous First Team All-American, while tackle Conner Moore and tight end Rohan Jones earned Second Team All-American nods. Those four players were joined by Humphrey on the All-Big Sky First Team, while lineman Titan Fleischmann and Cole Sain were Second Team All-Big Sky honorees, and Jones garnered honorable mention.
Walker played at Bethel University in Tennessee and completed his studies at Miami (Ohio). His first full-time coaching role came as Davenport University's wide receivers coach in 2016, and further stops took him to Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School and Muskingum University, where he coached special teams and defense. He joined Montana State's staff as director of recruiting in 2021, coached tight ends and fullbacks in 2022-23, and was promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2024.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by AstroTurf are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Jesse Bobbitt [South Dakota State], John Bowes [Dayton], Jeff Gallo [Monmouth], Randy Hedberg [North Dakota State], Ryan Lewis, Sr. [Alabama State], Frank Wilson [Tennessee Tech] and Walker) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Previous winners of the FCS Coordinator of the Year award are Heishman Northern (Prairie View A&M, 2008), Bob Shoop (William & Mary, 2009), Nick Rapone (Delaware, 2010), Scott Stoker (Sam Houston State, 2011), Chris Klieman (North Dakota State, 2012), Sterlin Gilbert (Eastern Illinois, 2013), Don Bailey (Idaho State, 2014), Lyle Hemphill (Stony Brook, 2015), Phil Longo (Sam Houston State, 2016), Bob Trott (James Madison, 2017), Matt Entz (North Dakota State, 2018), Shane Montgomery (James Madison, 2019), Ryan Carty (Sam Houston, 2020), David Braun (North Dakota State, 2021), Jimmy Rogers (South Dakota State, 2022), and Zach Lujan (South Dakota State, 2023).
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