Miami’s Malachi Toney and Colorado’s Lamont Lester, Jr. Named Walter Camp National FBS Players of the Week – Week 1 (Sept. 9)
The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the Football Bowl Subdivision National Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for games ending September 7.
About the Award: This is the 23rd year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation will honor one offensive and one defensive player as its national Football Bowl Subdivision player of the week during the regular season. It is the nation’s longest running Player of Week award.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore, Wide Receiver, Liberty City, FL
Malachi Toney turned in a record-setting performance in Miami’s 45-6 road win at Stanford, catching 12 passes for a program-record 234 receiving yards and three touchdowns. His 234 yards broke a 42-year-old school record. In the first half along, Toney accumulated 10 receptions for 182 yards and two touchdowns as the Hurricanes raced to 21-point lead.
Notes: It is the seventh time since 2004 (and first since Oct. 16, 2022 – Akheem Mesidor, DT) that a Miami player has earned Walter Camp National FBS Player of Week honors.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior, Defensive Line, Jersey City, NJ
Lamont Lester, Jr. record five tackles, including 3.5 for losses, and three quarterback sacks as Colorado opened up the 2026 season with a thrilling 14-13 victory at Georgia Tech. Lester’s three sacks were the most by a CU player in his debut game since 2003. For the game, the CU defense held Georgia Tech to just 5-of-13 on third down conversions and caused three fumbles.
Notes: It is the fourth time since 2004 (and first since Sept. 2, 2023 – Shedeur Sanders, QB) that a Colorado player has earned Walter Camp National FBS Player of Week honors.
Considered the “Father of American Football,” Walter Camp introduced the play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side in 1880. Nine years later, Mr. Camp, then the Yale University head coach, selected the first-ever college football All-America team. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.
The Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 25 awards have honored more than 1,000 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 13 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.
