The Paul Hornung Award is a college football award that was created in January 2010 by the Louisville Sports Commission in Louisville, Kentucky, with the support of Paul Hornung, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The mission of the award is to recognize and reward versatile, high-level performers in major college football; to help preserve the legacy of Hornung, one of Louisville's native sons and sports icons; and to promote Louisville as a great sports town.
Eligibility criteria To be eligible, a candidate must be in good standing and eligible on his team during the selection process, eligible with the NCAA during the selection process and play significant time during most or all of the season. Decisions regarding status for the award will be made by the Oversight Committee. In addition to starting or playing significant downs on offense or defense, candidates will be measured by performance from among one or more of the following: Playing multiple positions on offense and/or multiple positions on defense Playing a significant role on special teams Performing as a two-way player who starts either on offense or defense and is used on the other side of the ball in some capacity Making a significant impact during big games and elevating the team's performance through leadership displayed by excelling in multiple roles
Winners Year Player Positions School 2010 Owen Marecic FB, LB Stanford Stanford fullback/linebacker Owen Marecic wins first Paul Hornung Award, The Courier-Journal, January 10, 2011 2011 Brandon Boykin WR, CB, RS Georgia 2012 Tavon Austin WR, RB, RS West Virginia 2013 Odell Beckham Jr. WR, RS LSU 2014 Shaq Thompson RB, LB, S Washington 2015 Christian McCaffrey RB, RS Stanford 2016 Jabrill Peppers QB, WR, RB, LB, DB, RS Michigan 2017 Saquon Barkley RB, RS Penn State 2018 Rondale Moore WR, RS Purdue 2019 Lynn Bowden QB, WR, RS Kentucky 2020 DeVonta Smith WR, RS Alabama 2021 Marcus Jones CB, WR, RS Houston 2022 Jack Colletto QB, FB, LB, ST Oregon State 2023 Travis Hunter WR, CB Colorado 2024 Travis Hunter (2) WR, CB Colorado 2025 KC Concepcion WR, RS Texas A&M
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