JACKSON, Miss. -- Delta State University running back Chris Robinson is on the list of 10 finalists for the 2017 C Spire Conerly Trophy, announced today by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, which annually honors the state's top college football player. 

Each of the four year colleges in the state that play football select nominees for the highly coveted award, which is named after College Football Hall of Farner Charlie Conerly, who starred for Ole Miss and the New York Giants in the NFL.
 
A panel of sports media select the winner after a six-day online fan vote conducted by C Spire. Fan voting begins on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 8:30 a.m. and continues through Sunday, Nov. 26 at 5 p.m. at www.csopavoting.com.

Fans can vote daily through Facebook, Twitter or text message.

After being named an All-American in 2017, along with leading all of NCAA Division II with 14.4 points per game. On Saturday, Nov. 18, Robinson helped lead the Statesmen to their first NCAA Division II Playoff victory since 2011, running for 144 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-35 victory over Bowie State. Following the conclusion of the regular season, Robinson led the GSC in rushing yards (1,079 yards), yards per game (98.1) and scoring (16 TD) this season. The Bude, Miss., native topped 2,000 career yards rushing in a 52-20 win over Florida Tech on Nov. 11, rushing for a career-high 210 yards and four touchdowns.

Robinson has amassed 2,199 yards on 431 carries with 36 rushing touchdowns, 43 total touchdowns, moving past David Yeates (1,896) into eighth place on the DSU career rushing list. His 1,223 yards this season are 5th on the school's single season rushing list and he is the first Statesmen to top 1,000 in a season since Trevar Deed in 2011. 

He has caught 23 passes for 744 yards and seven touchdowns in 21 games for the Statesmen. Robinson was a finalist for the 2016 Conerly Trophy after establishing a new school and GSC record for touchdowns scored with 24. Robinson led the GSC in rushing, carrying the ball 186 times for 976 yards and 19 touchdowns while catching 37 passes for 551 yards and five touchdowns in 2016.

Here are the nominees for each school.
 
Alcorn State University- Running Back De'Lance Turner. The senior totaled 1262 yards rushing averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Ran for 8 touchdowns and caught 3 more.
 
Belhaven University- Quarterback Hunter McEachern. He played in 8 games as a sophomore completing 62.2% of his passes for 2769 yards and 27 touchdowns.
 
Delta State University- Running Back Chris Robinson. The senior had 7 games over 100 yards rushing. Robinson scored 17 rushing touchdowns and score two more receiving.
 
Jackson State University- Linebacker Shawn Bishop. The senior made 68 tackles on the year with 25 solo tackles. He had 8.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks along with one fumble recovery.
Millsaps College - Linebacker Jacob Kendall. The 6'1" senior made 16 solo tackles and assisted on 16 more. He had 7.5 tackles for a loss and 5 sacks.
 
Mississippi College - Defensive Back Chris Manning. In ten games Manning made 58 tackles including 34 solo tackles. Manning led the Choctaws with 3 interceptions.
 
Mississippi State University- Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. Nick has scored 29 touchdowns this year. 14 rushing scores and 15 passing touchdowns. The junior rushed for 1025 yards.
 
Mississippi Valley State University- Defensive Back Mark Pegues. The Oxford, MS senior made 41 tackles in nine games played. He had two interceptions for 101 yards returning.
 
University of Mississippi-Wide Receiver A.J. Brown. A sophomore from Starkville, Brown made 69 catches for 1085 yards. He averaged 15. 7 yards per catch and scored 10 TD.
 
University of Southern Mississippi - Running Back Ito Smith. Smith averaged 106 yards per game in 2017 gaining 1226 yards rushing. He totaled 12 rushing TD's and 2 receiving.

This will be the 22nd presentation of the C Spire Conerly Trophy. Ole Miss's Evan Engram was the winner in 2016. Only two men have won multiple trophies, Eli Manning of Ole Miss in 2001 and 2003, and Dak Prescott of Mississippi State in 2014 and 2015.