BOZEMAN — Montana State wide receiver Carter Dahlke has been named to the watch list for the Jerry Rice Award, which is presented each year to the top freshman in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Related: Great Falls' Reed Harris added to watch list for prestigious Biletnikoff Award
Dahlke, called into a larger role due to an injury to Taco Dowler, is one of 30 players named to the initial list. The Gallatin High School graduate has made 28 receptions through seven games, with 483 yards and four touchdowns. His yards total and average yards per catch (17.3) are both tops on the team.
Jerry Rice Award Watch List 👀 Freshman, @CarterDahlke21 , has been selected as one of 30 FCS players for the Jerry Rice Award Watch List. The Jerry Rice Award is presented each season to the FCS’s most outstanding freshman. #BobcatBuilt https://t.co/fdnJeyzRWr
— Montana State Football (@MSUBobcats_FB) October 20, 2026
Dahlke is one of four Big Sky Conference freshmen to make the Rice Award watch list. The others are Idaho State defensive end Trehsyn Fesili, Southern Utah safety Parker Vance, and UC Davis quarterback Treynor Cleeland.
True freshmen and redshirt freshmen are eligible to win the award.
The Rice Award is one of six handed out by the FCS at the end of the season, along with the Walter Payton Award (offensive player of the year), Buck Buchanan Award (defensive player of the year), Eddie Robinson Award (coach of the year), HBCU National Player of the Year and the Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
