Career: Finished illustrious career ranked No. 2 in the ISU record books in rushing yards (4,444), rushing touchdowns (44), all-purpose yards (5,218) and total touchdowns scored (46) ... is third in total points scored (276) ... ranks fourth in average yards per rush (5.58), rush yards per game (96.6) and all-purpose yards per game (113.4).
2019: Posted a stellar performance at the East-West Shrine Bowl™," where he accumulated 136 total yards (80 rushing, 56 passing) and scored the longest touchdown in the history of the prestigious game with a 63-yard rushing score ... consensus first-team All-American with honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the AFCA, HERO Sports, The Associated Press and STATS FCS following a stellar senior campaign for the Redbirds ... STATS FCS Walter Payton Award finalist for the second time ... All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First-Team selection for the third-straight season ... led the MVFC in rushing yards (1,899), yards per game (126.6) and touchdowns (18) ... the 1,899 rushing yards are third-most in a single season and 18 touchdowns are fourth-most ... recorded eight 100-plus yard rushing efforts, including a pair of 200-plus yard efforts in the first and second round of the FCS playoffs that included a school-record breaking 297-yard effort in the first-round with at Southeast Missouri ... finished the season ranked No. 2 in the FCS in rushing yards and yards per game and sixth in rushing touchdowns.
2018: STATS FCS Walter Payton Award finalist ... Phil Steele FCS First-Team All-America selection ... American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) FCS All-America Second Team pick ... also named a second-team All-American by HERO Sports FCS and STATS FCS ... picked up third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press ... All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First-Team selection ... led the conference with 1,290 rushing yards, which ranks sixth on the ISU single-season rushing list … tied for second in the league with 12 rushing touchdowns … averaged 117.3 yards per game and 6.3 yards per carry … posted a pair of 200-plus yard rushing performances and six 100-plus yard efforts … scored multiple touchdowns in four contests … named MVFC Offensive Player of the Week, after rushing for a career-best 256 yards and two scores in the season finale vs. Youngstown State … also ran for 202 yards and a score against Southern Illinois … ran for 153 yards and a score in the win at Colorado State … also caught 21 passes for 164 yards with a touchdown on the year.
2017: HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-American ... All-MVFC First-Team selection ... played all 11 games for the Redbirds … ranked second in the MVFC and No. 11 in the FCS in rushing touchdowns (12) and third in the MVFC in yards (933) … posted six games with 80 yards or more and scored multiple touchdowns in four contests … team’s leading rusher with 165 attempts for 933 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry (second-best in MVFC) … scored 12 touchdowns to lead the team … rushed for career-high 193 yards with a career long 87 yard run against South Dakota … recorded a single-game best of three touchdowns with 119 yards in win at Youngstown State … logged back-to-back 100+ yard games vs. USD and YSU.Â
2016: Played in nine games, with two starts at running back ... ranked third on the team with 63 carries and 322 yards, with a pair of touchdowns ... averaged 5.1 yards per carry, with a long of 55 yards ... carried the ball 14 times and recorded first career 100-plus yard effort with 103 yards against Youngstown State ... carried the ball a career-high 26 times and rushed for a career-best 122 yards with a score in a win over Southern Illinois ... also served as the team's primary kick returner, with 14 returns on the season for 325 yards ... averaged 23.2 yards per return, with a long of 52 in the FCS playoff game at Central Arkansas.
Lutheran HS: Four-year star for head coach Bruce Bazsali … ranked as a two-star recruit by both Rivals and Scout.com … IHSA all-time leading rusher with 9,045 yards and 158 rushing touchdowns in his career … also holds the state record for most career points scored with 948 … the 158 touchdowns tie for fourth on the NFHS all-time list as well and his 9,045 yards rank in the top 15 all-time in U.S. high school history … selected to play in the prestigious Blue-Game All-American game following his senior season ... 2015 Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 4A All-State selection at running back … also an all-area and all-conference selection … rushed for 2,461 yards and 44 touchdowns in his final season, helping the team to an 11-1 record, a conference championship and playoff appearance … rushed for 478 yards and seven touchdowns against Dixon, the sixth-highest single-game mark in IHSA history … earned all-state honors as a junior, while rushing for 2,227 yards and scoring 38 touchdowns … also named an all-state pick as a sophomore, while running for 2,469 yards and accounting for 51 total touchdowns, tied for the second-highest single-season total in IHSA history … amassed 1,888 rushing yards as a freshman … was also a standout on the basketball court.Â
Personal: Born August 9, 1998, in Rockford, Illinois … son of Latrica Saygo … has two younger siblings. Â