The Paul Hornung Award

Familiar faces Saquon Barkley, Joel Lanning Lead Teams to Big Conference Wins

Louisville, Ky. – October 23, 2017 – Saquon Barkley (Penn State) and Joel Lanning (Iowa State) made repeat appearances on the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll by playing a combined total of seven different positions on offense, defense and special teams, and leading their teams to conference victories.

The Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse is given annually by the Louisville Sports Commission to the most versatile player in major college football. The winner of this year’s award and his family will be honored on March 7, 2018, at a banquet presented by KentuckyOne Health at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville, Ky.

Penn State running back / return specialist Saquon Barkley lined up at wildcat quarterback and raced 69 yards for a score on the second play of the game setting the tone for the Nittany Lion’s homefield whiteout of Michigan, 42-13. Barkley scored on a 15-yard run on the next possession and added a juggling, 42-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. In total, Barkley carried the ball 15 times for 108 yards and two scores; caught three passes for 54 yards and a score; and returned a kickoff 15 yards. Penn State now is 7-0 on the season, ranked No. 2 in the country.

Iowa State linebacker / quarterback Joel Lanning played an impressive total of 93 snaps during the Cyclones’ 31-13 conference road victory over Texas Tech, pushing ISU’s record to 5-2 and a No. 25 ranking in the AP Poll. On defense, Lanning recorded 14 tackles and a quarterback hurry and now ranks in the top 5 nationally for tackles per game. On offense, Lanning saw action at quarterback where he had three carries for 5 yards, including a pivotal third down conversion on a late first half touchdown drive. Lanning played special teams on the offensive punt team and on the defensive field goal / PAT units.

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. Previous winners by year are:

2010: Owen Marecic of Stanford won the inaugural Paul Hornung Award as a two-way starter and All Pac-10 performer at fullback and honorable mention at linebacker;

2011: Brandon Boykin of Georgia won the award as a lockdown, All-American defensiveback who also excelled on offense and special teams;

2012: Tavon Austin of West Virginia won the award as one of two players in the nation with more than 500 yards in three different categories (rushing, receiving, and kick returns);

2013: Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU won the award after finishing the season ranked second in the nation and first in the SEC with 2,222 all-purpose yards and 185.2 average yards per game;

2014: Shaq Thompson of Washington won the award as a two-way player, earning first team All-America honors at linebacker and finishing as the Husky’s second-leading rusher at tailback;

2015: Christian McCaffrey of Stanford won in 2015 after amassing 3,496 all-purpose yards with 1,847 rushing, 540 receiving and 1,109 return, breaking Barry Sanders record of 3,250 set in 1988; and

2016: Jabrill Peppers of Michigan won the award playing 15 different positions, earning consensus All-America at linebacker, and becoming the first player ever to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the year, Linebacker of the Year, and Specialist of the Year.

Texas Roadhouse signed on as presenting sponsor of the Paul Hornung Award in 2011 and will team with the Louisville Sports Commission to power fan voting again this season. College football fans nationwide will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite player during the regular season and again during the bowl season. Fan voting factors into the selection of the Paul Hornung Award finalists and winner.