It was announced on Monday that Rico Bond of the Lindenwood football team was named a finalist for the 2025 Jerry Rice Award which honors the national freshman player of the year in college football's Division I FCS subdivision.

Bond had an outstanding redshirt freshman campaign, hauling in a team-high 61 catches for 701 yards and six touchdowns. The St. Louis, Mo. native had two games with 100+ receiving yards during the year.

The 6-1 wideout was named OVC-Big South Freshman of the Week three times during the year and averaged 11.5 yards per catch. His 701 yards ranks fourth while the 61 catches rank second in the conference.

The Rice Award, celebrating its 15th anniversary season, is named after legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, who starred in the FCS at Mississippi Valley State University. Past recipients include Cooper Kupp, Chase Edmonds, Trey Lance, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.

The Jerry Rice Award includes true and redshirt freshmen, and all 13 FCS conferences are represented by a finalist. The recipient, to be selected by a national voting panel, will be announced on Dec. 3 and honored at the Stats Perform National Awards Show on Jan. 3 in Nashville, Tennessee.