Lamar running back Kade Harrington finished second in the voting for the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year award.
Eastern Washington receiver Cooper Kupp won the honor with 378 votes. He gained 34 first place votes.
Harrington, a junior, had 349 votes and 26 first-place nods. He set several Lamar and Southland Conference records.
He led the nation with 2,092 yards rushing, 190.2 rushing yards per game, 21 rushing touchdowns and 213.4 all-purpose yards. Harrington averaged over 220 yards rushing in SLC play and was named the player of the year for the conference.
“Just to have the ability to come to Frisco and represent Lamar University as a finalist for this award is a huge honor,” Harrington said in a release. “It is something I will remember for the rest of my life. It would be a lie to say I’m not disappointed, but Cooper had an incredible season and I’m happy for him. I’m disappointed more for my teammates and for my coaches. They all worked so hard to get me here and I felt like I owed it to them to bring this award back to Beaumont.
“I had the honor of running behind a great offensive line. They never seem to get the credit they deserve for the work they do. My job is made easy because of them, and yet I’m here tonight. I felt like I owed this coaching staff. They saw something in me when no one else was willing to take a chance on me.”
Kupp led the FCS with 114 receptions, 10.4 receptions per game, 1,642 receiving yards, 149.3 receiving yards per game and 19 touchdown receptions. He was named the Big Sky’s offensive player of the year and is a three-time first-team All-American.
Kupp, a junior, has amassed 4,764 receiving yards, surpassing Jerry Rice for second all-time in an FCS career. Eastern Washington missed the playoffs this season with a 6-5 record.
Lamar finished 5-6 and also missed the playoffs, but not because Harrington missed out on doing his part.
Harrington had a 347-yard day against Abilene Christian, a Southland Conference record. He was named to four All-American first-team lists and had eight touchdown runs of 60 or more yards this season.
Illinois State running back Marshaun Coprich finished third in the voting with 275 tallies. He had 23 first place votes. Coprich finished the year with 1,967 rushing yards.