CLEVELAND – The Division I Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA), in coordination with the 13 FCS conference offices, have selected David Walker, defensive lineman at University of Central Arkansas, and Tommy Mellott, quarterback at Montana State University, as the 12th annual 2024 FCS ADA Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively.

DL – David Walker, Senior, Central Arkansas
In 2024, Walker was his league's Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight year and is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award for the second-straight year. He finished the year with 23 tackles for loss and 10 and 1/2 sacks.  This season, Walker set school records with 31 career sacks and 60 career tackles for loss in just three seasons at UCA. He finished the 2024 season with 69 tackles, four forced fumbles and six pass breakups. For more information on Walker's historical honors and awards, click here.

QB – Tommy Mellott, Senior, Montana Sate
The Big Sky Offensive MVP and a consensus First Team All-America pick, Mellott led the Bobcats to a 15-0 season, a No. 1 national ranking, and a berth in Monday's FCS Championship Game.  He enters Monday as the FCS leader in pass efficiency with more than 2,500 pass yards and 29 touchdowns against only two interceptions.  He has accounted for an FCS-best 258 points this year, which includes 915 rush yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.  The 2024 Walter Payton Award finalist is the only active FCS player with at least 3,000 career rushing yards and 3,000 career passing yards. For more information on Mellott's bio, click here.

The following student-athletes earned 2024 All-America laurels as announced December 23 from the FCS ADA, as the top players from each of their positions:
 

Position	Name	Institution	Conference
QB	Tommy Mellott	Montana State	Big Sky Conference
RB	Targhee Lambson	Southern Utah	United Athletic Conference
WR	Efton Chism	Eastern Washington	Big Sky Conference
TE	Carter Runyon	Towson	Coastal Athletic Conference
OL	Charles Grant	William & Mary	Coastal Athletic Conference
OL	Grey Zabel	North Dakota State	Missouri Valley Football Conference
PK	DC Pippin	SE Missouri State	Big South–OVC Football Association
DL	David Walker	Central Arkansas	United Athletic Conference
LB	Bryce Norman	SE Missouri State	Big South–OVC Football Association
DB	TJ Moore	Mercer	Southern Conference
RS	Junior Berqen	Montana	Big Sky Conference
P	Jeff Yurk	Elon	Coastal Athletic Conference

Tune into the Division I FCS Championship game on Monday, Jan. 6 to watch Montana State battle North Dakota State at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

About the FCS ADA: Now in its 31st year, the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance Football Championship Subdivision football. For more information on the FCS ADA, please visit www.fcsada.com. The FCS ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 60^th year. For more information on NACDA and the 19 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.