Presley, the only underclassmen among the three players invited to the unveiling of the FCS player-of-the-year award, received 13 first-place votes and 182 total points in balloting among national media and sports information directors.
Stephen F. Austin's Jeremy Moses received the honor in a landslide, tallying 37 first-place votes and 372 total points. Western Illinois' Matt Barr placed second with 17 first-place votes and 262 total points.
With Presley's third-place finish, ASU has had four representatives among the top three in Payton Award balloting in the past seven years — DaVon Fowlkes also placed third in voting in 2004 and Presley's predecessor as ASU's starting quarterback, Armanti Edwards, became the first two-time winner of the award by taking home the trophy each of the last two years.
Presley became only the fourth player in FCS history to pass for 2,000 yards (2,631 — 20th nationally) and rush for 1,000 yards (1,039 — 28th nationally and second among QBs) in a season last fall and ranked second nationally with 35 touchdowns accounted for (21 passing, 13 rushing and one receiving) and fourth with 3,670 yards of total offense.
In balloting for the other major FCS awards handed out by The Sports Network last Thursday, Jan. 6, ASU defensive end Jabari Fletcher, linebacker D.J. Smith and defensive back Mark LeGree placed seventh, eighth and 17th, respectively for the Buck Buchanan Award (defensive player of the year) and head coach Jerry Moore placed 11th for the Eddie Robinson Award (coach of the year).
Eastern Washington linebacker J.C. Sherritt took home the Buchanan Award and Southeast Missouri's State's Tony Samuel, who played under Moore when ASU's 22-year head coach was an assistant at Nebraska, won the Robinson Award.
