News/Commentary

2024 Paul Hornung Award Preseason Watch List For Most Versatile Athlete

August 1, 2024 by Staff

Louisville, Ky. – Aug. 1, 2024 – Forty-eight players representing ­­­­nine conferences plus one independent school that compete for the Football Bowl Series have been selected for the 2024 Paul Hornung Award Pre-Season Watch List.

Now in its 15th 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 football legend and Louisville native Paul Hornung. The winner and his family will be honored at the annual Paul Hornung Award dinner in Louisville, Ky., in March 2025.

The players represent 48 of the 134 all 134 college football teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Last season, the players on this list combined for more than 45,000 total yards and 198 touchdowns (rushing, receiving, passing,  and returning kicks and punts). The vast majority of the players on the Watch List play offensive skill positions and most are return specialists; five players are defensive backs and return specialists; and several players play both offense and defense.

By conference, the Big 12 leads with 11 players, followed by the ACC and Big Ten with eight and the SEC with 6 and Mountain West with 5. The MAC and Sun Belt each has three players on the list, CUSA has two, the AAC one and there is one player from an independent school.

Colorado’s Travis Hunter won the Award in 2023 earning first team All-American All-Purpose Player by averaging 119 snaps per game on offense, defense and special teams. He played five positions on defense and averaged 66 snaps per game; he played four skill positions on offense where he played 50 snaps per game. Despite missing three games due to injury, on offense Hunter finished second on the team with 57 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns; on defense, he tied for the team lead with three interceptions, recorded 31 tackles, led the team with five pass deflections and had two tackles for loss. He also played substantial time on special teams.

The Paul Hornung Award has created an impressive legacy in 14 years including 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.

Hornung, who passed away in his hometown at age 84 in Nov. 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 All-America at quarterback as a senior and won the Heisman Trophy in 1956, then was the first player selected in the NFL draft, going to 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 2024 Watch List was compiled by a panel of college football experts based on a combination of statistics, career performance, SID recommendations and expectations heading into the 2024 season. In addition to the Watch List, the Paul Hornung Award Weekly Honor Roll will recognize players whose performances during the regular season meet the Award’s criteria. Players from both the Watch List and the Weekly Honor Roll are eligible to win the Award.

2024 Watch List Selections

Jaydon Blue, Texas
Zachariah Branch, USC
Barion Brown, Kentucky
Gary Bryant Jr., Oregon
Luther Burden III, Missouri
Kenan Christon, San Diego State
Kevin Coleman, Mississippi State
Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State
Jacob De Jesus, UNLV
Dylan Edwards, Kansas State
Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Trevor Etienne, Georgia
Major Everhart, TCU
Preston Fox, West Virginia
Julian Gray, Liberty
Jayden Harrison, Notre Dame
Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech
AJ Henning, Northwestern
Tommi Hill, Nebraska
Travis Hunter, Colorado
Alijah Huzzie, UNC
Kenny Johnson, Pitt
Keegan Jones, UCLA
Parker Kingston, BYU
Caullin Lacy, Louisville
Marion Lukes, Central Michigan
Ismail Mahdi, Texas State
Jayden McGowan, Boston College
Drae McCray, Texas Tech
Easton Messer, WKU
Semaj Morgan, Michigan
Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
Jayden Otts, Cal
Trebor Pena, Syracuse
Zylan Perry, Louisiana
Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State
Richard Reese, Baylor
Trayvon Rudolph, Northern Illinois
Keionte Scott, Auburn
Malik Sherrod, Fresno State
Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
Cam Skattebo, Arizona State
Sutton Smith, Memphis
Cam Stone, Hawai’i
Jacquez Stuart, Toledo
Xavier Townsend, UCF
Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech
Luke Wysong, New Mexico

Previous Paul Hornung Award winners by year: 

  • 2023: Travis Hunter from Colorado played offense, defense and special teams, averaged 121 snaps per game; on offense was second on the team with 721 receiving yards and five touchdowns; on defense recorded 31 tackles, five interceptions, five pass deflections and two tackles for loss.
  • 2022: Jack Colletto of Oregon State played fullback, quarterback and receiver on offense; linebacker and defensive back on defense; and was on all special teams. He scored six touchdowns rushing, completed two passes, made 28 tackles, caused a fumble and recovered a fumble.
  • 2021: Marcus Jones of Houston was an All-American return specialist and lockdown corner who saw duty on offense. He recorded 48 tackles and five interceptions; returned a pair of kickoffs and punts for touchdowns; and caught 10 passes for 109 yards.
  • 2020: DeVonta Smith of Alabama topped the nation in receiving yards and yards after catch and averaged 24 yards per punt return leading the Crimson Tide to the national championship. He scored touchdowns rushing, receiving and returning punts and was a gunner on punt coverage.
  • 2019: Lynn Bowden Jr. of Kentucky made the move from all-purpose receiver/wildcat quarterback/return specialist to quarterback in midseason and led the Wildcats to a 5-2 record and Belk Bowl win over Virginia Tech.
  • 2018: Rondale Moore of Purdue was a dynamic All-American freshman sensation who broke the school record for all-purpose yards in a season and a game with 2,215 and 313, respectively.
  • 2017: Saquon Barkley of Penn State was an electrifying All-American running back who lined up at slot and wildcat quarterback, and returned kicks and punts;
  • 2016: Jabrill Peppers of Michigan played 15 different positions on defense, offense and special teams, and earned first-team All-America at linebacker;
  • 2015: Christian McCaffrey of Stanford was a workhorse on offense and special teams who broke the NCAA record for all-purpose yards, finishing with 3,864;
  • 2014: Shaq Thompson of Washington was a two-way player, earning first-team All-American honors at linebacker and finished as the Husky’s second-leading rusher at tailback;
  • 2013: Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU finished the season ranked second in the nation and first in the Southeastern Conference with 2,222 all-purpose yards and 185.2 average yards per game;
  • 2012: Tavon Austin of West Virginia earned All-American by scoring 17 touchdowns receiving, rushing, returning kicks and punts; and amassing 2,272 all-purpose yards, including 572 yards versus Oklahoma.
  • 2011: Brandon Boykin of Georgia was a lockdown cornerback on defense; scored three touchdowns playing quarterback, running back and slot on offense; and led the SEC in punt and kick returns.
  • 2010: Owen Marecic of Stanford was a two-way starter who averaged 110 snaps per game and earned first-team All-Pac-10 at fullback and honorable mention at linebacker. 

Below are past winners and finalists who have made their mark in the NFL: 

  • Ameer Abdullah* RB; Nebraska / Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders
  • Joe Adams WR; Arkansas / Carolina Panthers
  • Antonio Andrews RB; Western Kentucky / Tennessee Titans
  • Dri Archer RB; Kent State / Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Tavon Austin WR; West Virginia / St. Louis, Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys RB, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Saquon Barkley* RB; Penn State / New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles
  • Odell Beckham Jr* WR; LSU / New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins
  • Lynn Bowden, Jr. WR; Kentucky / Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints
  • Brandon Boykin CB/DB; Georgia / Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens
  • Randall Cobb WR; Kentucky / Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, New York Jets
  • D’Wayne Eskridge* WR; Western Michigan / Seattle Seahawks
  • Travis Etienne* RB; Clemson / Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Clyde Edwards-Helaire* RB; LSU / Kansas City Chiefs
  • Jahmyr Gibbs* RB; Alabama / Detroit Lions
  • Marcus Green WR; Louisiana-Monroe / Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles
  • Marion Grice RB; Arizona State / San Diego, Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona Cardinals
  • Justin Hall WR; Ball State / Las Vegas Raiders
  • KJ Hamler* WR; Penn State / Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills
  • N’Keal Harry* WR; Arizona State / New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings
  • Nyheim Hines* RB; NC State / Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns
  • Myles Jack ILB; UCLA / Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Adoree’ Jackson CB; USC / Tennessee Titans, New York Giants
  • LaMichael James RB; Oregon / Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers
  • Marcus Jones*, CB; Houston / New England Patriots
  • Jeremy Kerley WR; TCU / New York Jets, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills
  • Joel Lanning LB; Iowa State / Dallas Cowboys
  • Marqise Lee WR; USC / Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers
  • Johnny Manziel QB; Texas A&M / Cleveland Browns
  • Owen Marecic DB/RB; Stanford / Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers
  • Christian McCaffrey* RB; Stanford / Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers
  • Ty Montgomery RB/WR; Stanford / Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots
  • Rondale Moore* WR; Purdue / Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons
  • Marcus Murphy RB; Missouri / New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers
  • Robert Nkemdiche DT; Ole Miss / Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers
  • Jabrill Peppers* DB/FS; Michigan / Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, New England Patriots
  • Dante Pettis* WR; Washington / San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, Chicago Bears
  • Jayden Reed* WR; Michigan State / Green Bay Packers
  • Joe Reed WR; Virginia / Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears
  • DeVonta Smith* WR; Alabama / Philadelphia Eagles
  • Shaq Thompson* LB; Washington / Carolina Panthers
  • Kadarius Toney* WR; Florida / New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs
  • Sione Vaki* RB; Utah / Detroit Lions
  • Dede Westbrook WR; Oklahoma / Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings
  • Kyren Williams* RB; Notre Dame / Los Angeles Rams

 *Currently active in NFL

 About Louisville Sports Commission

The Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) is a Louisville, Kentucky-based 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to create a legacy of economic and social vitality through sports. The LSC attracts and hosts sporting events and activities that have a positive economic impact on Louisville, enhance the area's image as a premier sports destination and promote active lifestyles to improve the quality of life for community members of all ages.

About National College Football Awards Association

The Paul Hornung Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit the NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.