STATS announced its finalists for four FCS year-end awards on Monday, and five from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) -- four student-athletes and one coach -- are among the finalists.

Florida A&M quarterback Ryan Stanley and North Carolina A&T State running back Jah-Maine Martin are finalists for the Walter Payton Award, often known as the Heisman in FCS football.

Stanley leads the MEAC in passing, averaging 256.6 yards per game in the air, while Martin -- with 121.5 rushing yards per game -- is the nation's top running back. He's the MEAC's lone 1,000-yard rusher this season, and he broke Tarik Cohen's school record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 21.

Morgan State linebacker Rico Kennedy is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the best defensive player in FCS. Kennedy is third in the MEAC in tackles with 105, averaging 8.8 per game, and he leads the conference with 16.0 tackles for loss -- 4.0 of which are sacks.

North Carolina A&T State linebacker Jacob Roberts is a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to FCS' top rookie, and South Carolina State head coach Buddy Pough, who won a share of the MEAC title this season and guided  his Bulldogs to an 8-3 record, was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award.

All four awards will be given out on Jan. 10 in Frisco, Texas on the eve of the FCS national championship game.