KINGSTON, R.I. - Rhode Island Football's Marquis Buchanan and Devin Farrell were both named to the Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List on Tuesday morning, per a release from Stats Perform. 

The wide receiver and quarterback were two of 30 players in the country tabbed to the preseason watch list presented annually to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS Football. Buchanan and Farrell were both named finalists for the award in 2025. 

A Stats Perform First-Team All-American in 2025, Buchanan is one of eight wide receivers named to the list. His 2025 totals included 78 catches and an FCS Football leading 1,337 receiving yards. He joined Brian Forster as the players in program history to record multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Buchanan's 3,099 career receiving yards is third-most in team history. Over the last three seasons, Buchanan has notched 202 receptions. That's the third-most in program history trailing only Forster (284) and Aaron Parker (216). The Providence, R.I. native added a team-high eight receiving touchdowns including a two-touchdown performance at UC Davis in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.

Farrell was a First Team All-CAA Football honoree a season ago. He finished the season with 3,745 passing yards, the third most in a single season in team history and second most in the FCS in 2025. That propelled his career passing yards total to 5,474, making Farrell the fifth quarterback in program history to surpass 5,000 career passing yards. After completing 65 percent of his passes in 2025, Farrell's career passing percentage rose to 62.7 percent, second highest in team history trailing JaJuan Lawson's 63.3 percent from 2017-2018. He had the highest passing percentage in a single game in program history in 2025 when we completed 19-of-20 passes at UAlbany on Oct. 18. 

The award, affectionately known as the Heisman of the FCS, is named for legendary running back Walter Payton, who starred at Jackson State as part of his Hall of Fame career. Past recipients include Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo and Cooper Kupp. Youngstown State quarterback Beau Brungard, the 2025 winner, is seeking to become the third two-time recipient after quarterbacks Armanti Edwards (Appalachian State) and Jeremiah Briscoe (Sam Houston State). 

All 13 FCS conferences are represented on the watch list, which includes 10 past finalists. Buchanan and Farrell are the only two players from CAA Football member institutions to appear on the 2026 preseason watch list. 

The preseason watch list is below: 

2026 Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List
* - past finalist 
Quarterbacks
*Keali'I Ah Yat, Montana, R-Jr., 6-1, 200 (Big Sky Conference)
*Andrew Body, Alabama State, R-Sr., 6-0, 205 (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
*Beau Brungard, Youngstown State, Sr., 6-0, 215 (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
*Devin Farrell, Rhode Island, R-Sr., 6-0, 195 (CAA Football)
*Collin Hurst, West Georgia, Jr., 5-10, 190 (United Athletic Conference) 
*Justin Lamson, Montana State, Sr., 6-2, 210 (Big Sky Conference)
Chase Mason, South Dakota State, Gr., 6-4, 240 (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
*Chris Parson, Austin Peay, R-Jr., 5-11, 224 (United Athletic Conference)
Ty Pennington, Northern Arizona, Sr., 6-2, 210 (Big Sky Conference)
Dante Reno, Yale, Jr., 6-2, 205 (Ivy League)
*DJ Williams, Southern Illinois, Sr., 6-3, 218 (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
Running Backs
Dason Brooks, Idaho State, R-Sr., 5-11, 228 (Big Sky Conference)
Ness Davis, Duquesne, R-Jr., 5-11, 200 (NEC Football)
Victor Dawson, Illinois State, Sr., 5-11, 220 (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
MJ Flowers, Tennessee Tech, R-Sr., 6-1, 220 (Southern Conference)
Eli Gillman, Montana, R-Sr., 6-0, 213 (Big Sky Conference)
Carson Gresock, Gardner-Webb, R-Sr., 5-11, 215 (OVC Football)
Tylan Hines, Tarleton State, Sr., 5-7, 180 (United Athletic Conference)
Adam Jones, Montana State, Jr., 6-1, 200 (Big Sky Conference)
Ja'briel Mace, Villanova, Jr., 5-9, 175 (Patriot League)
Charles Pierre Jr., South Dakota, R-Sr., 5-10, 210 (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
*Luke Yoder, Lehigh, Sr., 5-11, 205 (Patriot League)
Wide Receivers
*Marquis Buchanan, Rhode Island, R-Sr., 6-4, 190 (CAA Football)
Taco Dowler, Montana State, Sr., 5-9, 190 (Big Sky Conference)
Samuel Gbatu Jr., UC Davis, Sr., 5-10, 185 (Big Sky Conference)
Gavin Lochow, Dayton, Sr., 6-0, 185 (Pioneer Football League)
Sam Milligan, Bucknell, Sr., 6-3, 220 (Patriot League)
Bugs Mortimer, Stephen F. Austin, R-Sr., 5-10, 177 (Southland Conference)
Chance Peterson, North Carolina Central, R-Jr., 5-8, 155 (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
Brayden Smith, Mercer, Jr., 5-10, 185 (Southern Conference)