Laube Selected to Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List

DURHAM, N.H. – Senior running back Dylan Laube (Westhampton, N.Y.) of the University of New Hampshire football team was named to the 2023 Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List on Wednesday.

The Walter Payton Award, presented by FedEx Ground, is given annually to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS. Laube is one of 12 running backs and 35 players overall named to the initial Watch List.

Laube has been named to four preseason All-America Teams, including Stats Perform earlier this week. He also received recognition from Athlon, HERO Sports and The Bluebloods.

First awarded in 1987, past recipients of the Walter Payton Award include UNH's Jerry Azumah in 1998 and Rick Santos in 2006.

UNH, ranked No. 8 in the Athlon and 14^th in the HERO Sports preseason polls, kicks off the 2023 season Sept. 2 at Stonehill College. The Wildcats' home opener is Sept. 16 against Dartmouth College.

UNH football Season Ticket Memberships, including the Service Credit Union Victory Club, are on sale now and can be purchased online by CLICKING HERE or by calling (603) 862-4000.

Plans start as low as $99 and include special benefits such as invites to exclusive events, complimentary tickets to UNH sporting events, first right to special events such as playoffs, and presale opportunities to Homecoming. Group and Hospitality tickets, as well as individual game tickets, are also on sale. For questions regarding tickets, please email unh.tickets@unh.edu.

Laube was named to seven All-America postseason teams in 2022 – five as an all-purpose player, one as a kick returner and one as a punt returner.

He was a three-time CAA All-Conference honoree with selection to the First Team as a punt returner, Second Team as a running back and Third Team as a kickoff returner. Laube was also named to the New England Football Writers All-New England Team.

Laube finished the 2022 season as the national leader in all-purpose yards per game (194.3) and ranked in the Top 10 in four other stats: No. 2 in total touchdowns (19), No. 4 in scoring (9.5 points/game), No. 8 in rushing TDs (15), and No. 8 in punt return average (13.7 yards/return). He also ranked 15^th in rushing yards (1,209), 17^th in kickoff return average (25.8) and 20^th in rushing yards per game (100.8).

On the CAA leaderboard, Laube ranked in the Top 5 in nine stats – including No. 1 in all-purpose yards/game, scoring, total touchdowns and kickoff return average (25.8 yards/return) – and he was the team leader in 14 statistics.

Laube's season highlights included a school-record 424 all-purpose yards in the NCAA first round vs. 16^th-ranked Fordham University, tying a school record with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at 14^th-ranked Richmond, matching a school record for longest punt return with a 92-yard TD at Towson, and breaking the Wildcat Stadium record for longest punt return with a 43-yarder vs. 21^st-ranked Elon.

He finished the season with 1,209 rushing yards, which ranks seventh on UNH's list of single-season superlatives. Laube was the team's leading rusher all 12 games, finished with five games of 200+ all-purpose yards, and also rushed for 100+ yards five times, including a career-high 202 yards at UAlbany.

Laube rushed for three touchdowns in that game vs. the Great Danes and also had three rushing TDs in consecutive games against Maine and Fordham. Overall, he scored at least one touchdown in 10 of 12 games played.

In the 2022 season, New Hampshire won a share of the CAA title with a 7-1 conference record and advanced to the NCAA second round to highlight a highly-successful season that ended with a 9-4 overall record and No. 13/15 national ranking.

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