NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale football quarterback Dante Reno has been named to the 2026 Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List, Stats Perform announced Tuesday, July 14.

The Walter Payton Award honors the national offensive player of the year in FCS college football. This year's 30-player preseason watch list marks the award's 40th anniversary season.

Reno started all 12 games for the Bulldogs last season, throwing for 2,498 yards—the fourth-most in Yale program history—and 21 touchdowns, the second-most in the Ivy League in 2025. He recorded seven games with two or more touchdown passes, including against Harvard on Nov. 22, when he completed 15 of 19 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns.

Yale opens the season on the road at Holy Cross on Saturday, Sept. 19.

View the complete watch list here.