WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Monmouth University Football defensive end Lamont Lester Jr. has been selected to the watch list for the Stats Perform 2025 Jerry Rice Award, which honors the freshman player of the year in FCS football.
 
Lester Jr. has been a key piece of Monmouth's defensive line posting 25 total tackles, 6.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries in 2025. The redshirt freshman ranks third in the CAA and 11^th in FCS in sacks, while being involved in at least one sack in six of the Hawks' seven games.
 
Two of Lester's sacks have forced fumbles that were recovered by the Monmouth defense. The first was a key momentum shifter in the comeback victory versus Colgate in Week One, while his second came in MU's most recent win over Stony Brook. Lester and the Monmouth defense rank tied for sixth in FCS as a unit with 21 total sacks so far this season. The unit's 14 turnovers through seven contests have already bested last season's mark of 11.
 
True and redshirt freshmen are eligible for the Jerry Rice Award. A group of finalists is selected at the conclusion of the regular season before a national panel votes on a recipient in the award's 15^th anniversary season. The 2025 Jerry Rice Award will be announced on December 3 and honored at the Stats Perform National Awards Show on January 3 in Nashville, Tennessee.