University of Louisville running back and return specialist Hassan Hall was one of 50 multi-talented college football players named to 2020 Watch List for the Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse.
The Paul Hornung Award, now in its 11th season, is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football by the Louisville Sports Commission and football legend and Louisville native Paul Hornung. The winner and his family will be honored at the annual Paul Hornung Award dinner at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville on March 2021.
A junior from Atlanta, Ga., Hall was one of the Cardinals’ top all-purpose players a year ago, accounting for 1,345 yards and six touchdowns. The 6-foot-0, 204-pounder earned second team All-Atlantic Coast Conference accolades as an all-purpose performer and was third team as a returner.
Hall ranked fourth in the nation in kickoff return yardage at 30.5 yards, returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in a 62-59 win over No. 17 Wake Forest. He returned 26 kicks for 791 yards, and ranks sixth all-time in school history with 1,611 yards.
As a running back last season, Hall finished second on the squad with 501 yards and five touchdowns, while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He carried six times for a career best 79 yards in a loss at Miami, which included a career long 58 yard rush.
For the first time in the Award’s history, the Watch List includes a previous winner and two former finalists. Purdue’s Rondale Moore won the Award as a freshman in 2018. Wan’Dale Robinson (Nebraska) was a finalist last year, and Conner Heyward (Michigan State) was a finalist in 2018. Moore is the second player to try to win the Award twice, along with Christian McCaffrey, who won as a sophomore in 2015 but was edged out by
Hornung, who still lives in his hometown of Louisville, played every position in the offensive backfield during his career with the Irish in the 1950s and also played defensive safety, punted, placekicked and returned kickoffs. He was named All-America at quarterback as a senior and won the Heisman Trophy in 1956, then was the first player selected in the NFL draft, going to Green Bay. He earned NFL MVP honors for the Packers in 1961 as a triple-threat halfback and placekicker by setting a single-season NFL scoring record that stood for 46 years. He is a member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and Vince Lombardi once called him, “The most versatile man ever to play the game.”
The 2020 Watch List was compiled by a panel of college football experts based on a combination of 2019 statistics, career performance, SID recommendations and expectations heading into the 2020 season. In addition to the Watch List, the Paul Hornung Award Weekly Honor Roll will recognize players whose performances during the regular season meet the Award’s criteria. Players from both the Watch List and the Honor Roll will be eligible to win the Award.
2020 Watch List Selections
Jaylond Adams, Southern Miss
Otis Anderson, UCF
Tyler Badie, Missouri
Journey Brown, Penn State
Tre Brown, Oklahoma
Treylon Burks, Arkansas
Jordan Byrd, SDSU
Michael Carter, UNC
Britain Covey, Utah
Dylan Drummond, Eastern Michigan
Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
D’Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan
Demetric Felton, UCLA
Xavier Gaines, Marshall
Hassan Hall, Louisville
Thomas Hennigan, Appalachian State
Connor Heyward, Michigan State
Jevon Holland, Oregon
Deon Jackson, Duke
Giles Jackson, Michigan
D’Shawn Jamison, Texas
Amare Jones, Tulane
Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee
Lopini Katoa, BYU
Wesley Kennedy III, Georgia Southern
Myron Mitchell, UAB
Rondale Moore, Purdue
K.D. Nixon, Colorado
Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan
Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State
Stephon Robinson Jr., Kansas
Tayvion Robinson, Virginia Tech
Wan’Dale Robinson, Nebraska
Amari Rodgers, Clemson
Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Iowa
Tyler Snead, ECU
Marquez Stevenson, Houston
Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC
Toa Taua, Nevada
Juanyeh Thomas, Georgia Tech
Thayer Thomas, NC State
Deven Thompkins, Utah State
Kadarius Toney, Florida
Austin Trammell, Rice
Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
Connor Wedington, Stanford
Avery Williams, Boise State
Dante Wright, Colorado State
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