For the second straight week, a player with North Carolina roots has earned Stats Perform FCS National Freshman of the Week honors.
Samford quarterback Brady Stober, a true freshman from Hickory, turned heads in his first career start, completing 34 of 43 passes (79.1%) for 285 yards and three first-half touchdowns in a 23-21 win at VMI. Stober also added 33 rushing yards and led a 14-play, fourth-quarter drive that set up the game-winning field goal. His performance produced a 153.1 passer rating.
A 2025 graduate of Hickory High School, Stober threw for more than 9,000 yards and 106 touchdowns in his prep career while leading the Red Tornadoes to the 2023 state 3A championship and earning Western North Carolina Golden Helmet Player of the Year honors.
Stober earned 3A state championship game MVP after leading Hickory to a 33-26 win over Terry Sanford. He rushed for the winning touchdown in the game’s final minute. He committed to Samford in June 2024, choosing the Bulldogs over offers from schools like Elon, Davidson, Navy, VMI, Mercer, Charleston Southern and William & Mary.
Last week’s FCS Freshman of the Week was another North Carolina product — Sacred Heart running back Mitchell Summers, a former Greensboro Grimsley standout, who collected the award after rushing for 243 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Howard.
