WEEK 3: Five Players Earn Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll
Award Presented by Texas Roadhouse, Given to Nation’s Most Versatile Player
Louisville, Ky. – Sept. 19, 2023 – Five players from four different conferences earned the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll in week three of the college football season. Jacob De Jesus from UNLV and Tory Horton from Colorado State represent the Mountain West; Parker Kingston from BYU represents the Big 12; DJ Lundy from FSU represents the ACC; and Arizona’s Michael Wiley represents the Pac 12.
Together with its 12 member awards, the National College Football Awards Association is promoting national players of the week this college football season. Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton was chosen as the Paul Hornung Award’s National Player of the Week for his Herculean effort in the Rams’ double overtime loss to in-state rival Colorado.
UNLV senior WR/return specialist Jacob De Jesus touched the ball four different ways and scored once in the Running Rebels’ come-from-behind, shootout win over Vanderbilt at home, 40-37. De Jesus caught three passes for 62 yards, including a 48-yard scoring reception late in the fourth quarter that gave UNLV a 37-30 lead. He had one carry, returned four kickoffs for 101 yards, returned a punt 22 yards and fair caught a punt.
Colorado State WR/return specialist Tory Horton touched the ball 20 times three different ways and accounted for two scores in the Ram’s heartbreaking 43-35 road loss to rival Colorado in double overtime. Horton threw a 30-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter; caught 16 passes for 133 yards, seven that accounted for first downs, and one for a score that sent the game into the second overtime. He returned two punts for 28 yards and fair caught one punt.
BYU freshman WR/return specialist Parker Kingston touched the ball four different ways and accounted for touchdowns two different ways as the Cougars came from behind twice to beat Arkansas 38-31 on the road. Kingston threw a 37-yard scoring pass in the second quarter to help erase a 14-0 deficit and caught a 20-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to even the score at 31. He also carried the ball once for three yards and had two kickoff returns for 56 yards
Florida State LB/FB DJ Lundy was a stalwart on defense with four tackles, .5 sack, .5 tackle for loss and an interception in the Seminole’s wild, 31-29 win over Boston College on the road. Lundy’s third-quarter interception on the Eagles’ 40-yard started an FSU drive that was capped by his one-yard plunge for a touchdown that spotted the Seminoles a 31-10 lead and proved to be the winning score.
Arizona senior WR/return specialist Michael Wiley touched the ball 20 times three different ways and scored once in the Wildcats’ 31-10 home win over UTEP. Wiley carried the ball 17 times for 83 yards, including a three-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that proved to be the winning score. Wiley caught one pass for 15 yards, returned two kickoffs for 42 yards and accounted for five first downs rushing and one first down receiving.
The Louisville Sports Commission successfully launched the Paul Hornung Award in 2010 to honor its namesake and native son, and to promote outstanding performances by versatile college football players who often go unnoticed. Each week during the regular season, a panel of college football experts selects players for the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll based on performance. A national selection committee comprised of 17 sports journalists and former NFL stars votes for the Hornung Award finalists and the winner, with fan voting powered by Texas Roadhouse comprising the 18th vote. Regional accounting firm Dean Dorton independently tabulates all votes.
2023 Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll
- Week 1: Zachariah Branch, USC; Erik Brooks, Fresno State; Malik Fleming, Houston; Travis Hunter, Colorado; Jayden McGowan, Vanderbilt; Jalen McMillian, Washington
- Week 2: Phillip Brooks, Kansas State; Travis Hunter, Colorado; Braden Smith, Cincinnati; Lincoln Victor, Washington State.