The Paul Hornung Award is awarded annually to college football’s most versatile player, with previous winners like former LSU receiver and current New York Giant Odell Beckham Jr. as well as former Washington linebacker, running back and safety Shaq Thompson defining what the award is all about.
Earlier today, JJ Stankevitz of NBC Sports’ College Football Talk published a list of players who should be considered for the award and, not surprisingly, LSU Tigers running back and return specialist Leonard Fournette was named as the early favorite.
This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, as Fournette defines versatility. In his freshman season last year, Fournette rushed for 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 187 carries, caught seven passes for 127 yards, and also accumulated 625 return yards and a touchdown. Needless to say, the rising sophomore can simply do it all.
Fournette will surely have some competition for the Hornung Award this year, as Stankevitz also listed Ohio State’s Jalin Marshall, South Carolina’s Pharoh Cooper and Texas A&M’s Speedy Noil as contenders. But LSU is a program known for producing strong and versatile players so at this point, Fournette has to be the favorite.
The full Paul Hornung Award watch list can be seen below.
Ishmael Adams, UCLA
Budda Baker, Washington
V’Angelo Bentley, Illinois
Rashon Ceaser, Louisiana Monroe
Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
Trevor Davis, California
Matt Dayes, N.C. State
Cameron Echols-Luper, TCU
DeVon Edwards, Duke
Tyler Ervin, San Jose State
Leonard Fournette, LSU
Autrey Golden, UTEP
Jamal Golden, Georgia Tech
Jakeem Grant, Texas Tech
Janarion Grant, Rutgers
Carlos Harris, North Texas
Carlos Henderson, Louisiana Tech
Myles Jack, UCLA
Adoree’ Jackson, USC
Corey Jones, Toledo
Isaiah Jones, East Carolina
William Likely, Maryland
T.J. Logan, North Carolina
Byron Marshall, Oregon
Jalin Marshall, Ohio State
Christian McCaffrey, Stanford
Elijah McGuire, Louisiana Lafayette
Isaiah McKenzie, Georgia
Ronnie Moore, Bowling Green
Teldrick Morgan, New Mexico State
Charles Nelson, Oregon
Speedy Noil, Texas A&M
Daz’Mond Patterson, Ohio
De’Mornay Pierson-El, Nebraska
James Quick, Louisville
Alex Ross, Oklahoma
R.J. Shelton, Michigan State
Ryan Switzer, North Carolina
Jahad Thomas, Temple
Jaylen Walton, Ole Miss
Shane Williams- Rhodes, Boise State
Stanley Williams, Kentucky
Myles Willis, Boston College
Dontre Wilson, Ohio State
LSU opens 2015 at home on September 5 against the Southland’s McNeese State Cowboys.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
