LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fifty-three players, representing all 10 conferences plus two independents competing for the Football Bowl Series, have been selected for the Paul Hornung Award pre-season watch list.
Now in its 14th season, the Paul Hornung Award is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football by the Louisville Sports Commission in memory of the late Louisville native Paul Hornung. The winner and his family will be honored at the annual award dinner in Louisville, Ky., in March 2024.
The players represent 53 different schools and last season combined for more than 56,000 total yards and more than 1,700 points. Forty-seven players on the list play offensive skill positions and all but one are return specialists; six players are defensive backs and return specialists.
The Paul Hornung Award has honored seven winners who were first-round NFL draft picks–Tavon Austin, Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham Jr., Christian McCaffrey, Jabrill Peppers, DeVonta Smith, and Shaq Thompson. Jack Colletto from Oregon State was named the 13th winner of the Paul Hornung Award in 2022 and the fourth from the Pac-12.
Hornung, who passed away in his hometown at age 84 in November 2020, played every position in the offensive backfield during his career with the Irish in the 1950s and also played defensive safety, punted, placekicked, and returned kickoffs. He was named an All-American at quarterback as a senior and won the Heisman Trophy in 1956, then was the first player selected in the NFL draft by Green Bay. He earned NFL MVP honors for the Packers in 1961 as a triple-threat halfback and placekicker by setting a single-season NFL scoring record that stood for 46 years. He is a member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and Vince Lombardi once called him, “the most versatile man ever to play the game.”
The 2023 watch list was compiled by a panel of college football experts based on a combination of statistics, career performance, sports officials’ recommendations, and expectations heading into the 2023 season. In addition to the watch list, the Paul Hornung Award weekly honor roll will recognize players who meet the award’s criteria.
The Louisville Sports Commission launched the Paul Hornung Award in 2010 to honor its namesake and to promote outstanding performances by versatile college football players who often go unnoticed.
