Trio of Two-Way Players, Wide Receiver and Running Back Earn Honor Roll
Versatility on Display in ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 in Week 10 of College Football Season
Louisville, Ky. – Monday, November 9, 2015 – Adoree’ Jackson from USC, Charles Nelson from Oregon, Christian McCaffrey from Stanford and KaVonte Turpin from TCU all return to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll after making big plays on offense, defense and special teams in week 10 of the college football season. Pittsburgh’s Jordan Whitehead earned his first Honor Roll selection after scoring two rushing touchdowns and leading the Panthers in tackles against Notre Dame.
The Paul Hornung Award, presented by Texas Roadhouse, is awarded annually to the most versatile player in major college football. The winner and his family will be honored on February 25, 2016, at a banquet presented by KentuckyOne Health at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville, Ky.
College football fans nationwide have the opportunity to cast their votes online for the Paul Hornung Award. Fans can vote as often as once every 24 hours at paulhornungaward.com for players who were on the preseason watch list and players who have been named to the Weekly Honor Roll selection. Voting will continue through November 17, 2015. Fans will then have the chance to vote for the winner from among the finalists in a second round of voting in late-November.
USC cornerback, wide receiver and kick returner Adoree’ Jackson continues to be a versatile threat on offense, defense and special teams as he recorded 130 all-purpose yards and two tackles in a 38-30 win over Arizona. Jackson caught four passes for 35 yards, returned four punts for 28 yards and returned three kickoffs for 57 yards. He has now surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards and has three total touchdowns on the season. Additionally, he has 18 total tackles, one interception, one pass-breakup, two pass deflections and a forced fumble. The Trojans are tied for second with UCLA in the Pac-12 South with a conference record of 4-2 and an overall record of 6-3.
Oregon safety and wide receiver Charles Nelson helped propel the Ducks to a 44-28 over California with his second offensive touchdown of the season and a solid showing on defense and special teams. The sophomore made three solo tackles on defense, hauled in a 20-yard touchdown pass on offense and returned three kickoffs for 52 yards. This is Nelson’s second consecutive week being honored on the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll. He is second on the team in all-purpose yards with 705 and seventh on the team in total tackles with 33. Oregon is tied for second with Washington State in the Pac-12 South and plays division leader, Stanford, next Saturday.
Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey added a passing touchdown to his impressive season after helping the Cardinal stay undefeated in the Pac-12 in a dominant 42-10 win at Colorado. McCaffrey recorded his sixth game of the season with 200 or more all-purpose yards against the Buffaloes – 147 rushing yards, 15 receiving yards, 28 passing yards and 46 kickoff return yards. His 28-yard passing touchdown was the first of his career and he is Stanford’s first non-QB to throw a touchdown since 2009. McCaffrey continues to lead the FBS in total all-purpose yardage and all-purpose yards per game with 2,174 and 241.56, respectively.
TCU wide receiver KaVonte Turpin touched the ball four different ways and finished the game with 282 all-purpose yards in a 42-29 loss at Oklahoma State. Turpin ran the ball four times for 22 yards, caught seven passes for 107 yards, returned three punts for 25 yards and had five kickoff returns for 128 yards. This was his second career 100-yard receiving game and his seven catches tied a career high. Turpin is second on the team in all-purpose yards with 1,245 as a true freshman. The Horned Frogs are tied for third in the Big 12 conference with three games left, including at Oklahoma and Baylor at home to end the regular season.
Pittsburgh strong safety Jordan Whitehead was a key offensive performer for the Panthers in their 42-20 loss to Notre Dame. Whitehead made his first collegiate appearance on the offensive side of the ball, lining up as a running back and wide receiver. He finished the game with four rushes for 27 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, Whitehead led Pitt with 11 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for a loss of four yards. Pittsburgh is one game behind North Carolina in the ACC Coastal division race with a conference record of 4-1 and an overall record of 6-3.
Past Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll Selections
Week One: William Likely (Maryland), Myles Jack (UCLA), Braxton Miller (Ohio State), Robert Nkemdiche (Ole Miss)
Week Two: Kenyan Drake (Alabama), Janarion Grant (Rutgers), Jahad Thomas (Temple), Brandon Wilson (Houston)
Week Three: William Likely (Maryland), Christian McCaffrey (Stanford), Jakeem Grant (Texas Tech), Ryan Switzer (North Carolina)
Week Four: Trevone Boykin (TCU), Adoree’ Jackson (USC), Christian Kirk (Texas A&M), Christian McCaffrey (Stanford), Robert Nkemdiche (Ole Miss)
Week Five: Christian McCaffrey (Stanford), KaVontae Turpin (TCU)
Week Six: Tyler Ervin (San Jose State), Reggie Davis (Georgia)
Week Seven: Bralon Addison (Oregon), Tyler Boyd (Pittsburgh), Adoree’ Jackson (USC), Christian Kirk (Texas A&M), Christian McCaffrey (Stanford)
Week Eight: Tyler Boyd (Pittsburgh), Tyler Ervin (San Jose State), Christian McCaffrey (Stanford)
Week Nine: Jakeem Grant (Texas Tech), Adoree’ Jackson (USC), Charles Nelson (Oregon)
The Louisville Sports Commission successfully launched the Paul Hornung Award in 2010 to honor its namesake and native son, and to recognize and reward high-level achievers in college football whose performances and contributions as versatile players often go unnoticed. Owen Marecic of Stanford, a two-way starter and All Pac-10 performer at fullback and linebacker, won the inaugural Paul Hornung Award in 2010; Brandon Boykin of Georgia won the award in 2011 after excelling on defense, offense and special teams; Tavon Austin of West Virginia won the award in 2012 as one of two players in the nation with more than 500 yards in three different categories (rushing, receiving and kick returns); Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU won the award in 2013 after finishing 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; and Shaq Thompson of Washington won the award in 2014 as a two-way player, earning first team All-America honors at linebacker and finishing as the Husky’s second-leading rusher at tailback.