I’m like Golden Globe and Grammy fans everywhere: Let the awards season begin.

With that being said, it’s time to make a case for Kade Harrington to kick things off (pun intended) right.

Wait, really? A case needs to be made for Kade Harrington to win the Football Championship Subdivision’s highest individual award?

Well, when a star plays on a team that finished 5-6 and will be chosen among standouts from two national powerhouse teams, uh, yeah. Kade’s case for the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year award has to be successfully made from a national perspective.

Whether it helps that the award will be presented in Texas on the eve of the NCAA Division I Championship remains to be seen, but I highly doubt voters across the country took it in consideration to give Harrington a nudge.

These numbers should be convincing enough:

• 2,092: The number of rushing yards Harrington netted, the most in all of Division I this season. Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry of Alabama is sitting on 2,061 through 14 games with one more to play; Harrington played 11 games this season.
• 347: Harrington’s Southland Conference-record rushing yardage on 28 carries, against Abilene Christian on Oct. 10 in Beaumont.
• 9: Times in which Harrington ran 45 or more yards for a touchdown. Eight of those runs went for 60 or more yards.
• 8: Games in a row Harrington rushed for 100 or more yards, the lowest count being 152 against Southeastern Louisiana. Six of those games went for 200 or more yards.
• 7: Players in all of Division I, including Harrington, who have ever reached 2,000 rushing yards in just 10 games. For measure, Marcus Allen and Barry Sanders are on that list. Harrington had a national-leading 2,092 in 11 games.
• 4: The number of all-America first-team lists Harrington has made. But that doesn’t happen without the aforementioned statistics.

A 5-foot-9, 190-pound running back from Kingwood did all that.

It’s worth introducing you to Harrington’s competition tonight:

• Marshaun Coprich of Illinois State totaled 1,967 yards and 23 touchdowns rushing. He rushed for 200 or more four times, and he helped the Redbirds, who were NCAA runners-up last season, win the Missouri Valley co-championship and reach the 2015 national quarterfinals as a No. 2 national seed.
• Cooper Kupp of Eastern Washington led the FCS in six receiving categories this season. With 1,642 yards to go with 19 touchdowns, Kupp is up to 4,764 receiving yards, surpassing Jerry Rice for second all-time in an FCS career. The championship-pedigree Eagles missed the playoffs this season, but went 6-5.

Aside from my words, Harrington already has made a strong case. His closest competitor for most of the season in the statistical rushing championship, Fordham’s Chase Edmonds, finished fourth in voting and did not make the finalists’ cut.

You remember Chase Edmonds. Two weeks after Harrington’s career game against Abilene Christian, the 2014 national freshman of the year matched — matched, I say — that at home against Lehigh.

How did this season turn out for Edmonds? Pretty dang good.

He finished with 1,705 yards (137.3 per game), 20 touchdowns and an appearance in the Division I playoffs. Fordham, which Edmonds helped stun Football Bowl Subdivision member Army in the season opener, finished just one field goal away from the Patriot League championship, as eventual champ Colgate took the 31-29 victory on Halloween. (Haunting, isn’t it?)

If personality and marketing were to count for anything, Harrington would definitely win the sash for most congenial.

He’s handled the toughest postgame interviews after disappointing defeats with such outward ease, knowing exactly what to say with a straightforward tone. NFL coaches and players can take notes from Harrington’s composure. When the Cardinals won, Harrington delivered his answers in almost similar even-keel manner.

Maturity is expected from a junior, but Kade is just flat-out cool behind the microphone.

Then, there’s the publicity. Players don’t win national awards based on their play alone. The Lamar sports information department should receive its own award for telling the world about Harrington, giving him the catchy hashtag #TheArKADE for what James Dixon called his arcade-like numbers and creating graphics to highlight Harrington’s best performances. It’s not like Lamar is televised on ESPN each week, you know.

Oh, but we here get to see Lamar. And, player of the year or not, winning record or not, Harrington’s season is nothing short of the stuff of legends.

With that in mind … give Kade the trophy already.

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I.C. Murrell can be reached at 721-2435 or ic.murrell@panews.com. On Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews.