LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Sports Commission today named BYU's Tyler Allgeier among 57 multi-talented college football players to the 2021 Watch List for the Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse.
The Paul Hornung Award, now in its 12th season, is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football by the Louisville Sports Commission in the memory of the late 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 in March 2021.
A sophomore in eligibility after last year's Covid season, Allgeier is a versatile athlete who has played significant roles on defense (linebacker), offense (running back) and special teams (kick returner, punt return unit, kickoff and punt coverage units) for the Cougars in his career.
Allgeier burst onto the national scene in 2020 in his first year as a starter at running back for BYU, rushing for 1,130 yards to rank No. 8 in the nation and No. 1 among players with 150 attempts or less. Allgeier received 2020 Phil Steele All-America honorable mention after helping BYU go 11-1 and finish ranked No. 11 last season. The 5-11, 220-pound back ranked No. 3 nationally for the most runs of 30 or more yards while averaging 7.53 yards per carry, which was No. 7 in the country and tops among all sophomores.
A native of Fontana, California, Allgeier scored 13 touchdowns, including an 86-yard gallop at Boise State, to achieve the eighth-best single-season touchdown total in BYU history and rank No. 10 in the nation for rushing scores last year. He added 14 receptions for 174 yards as a receiver, averaging 12.4 yards per catch, while his 118.5 all-purpose yards per game was tops for BYU in 2020.
Allgeier was previously named in July to the Doak Walker Watch List for the nation's top running back and the watch list for the 85th Maxwell Award presented annually to the most outstanding player in college football.
The 2021 Paul Hornung Watch List players represent 53 universities from all 10 football conferences, plus four independent schools, that are part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The SEC leads the conferences with nine players; the Big Ten and Big 12 each landed eight players; C-USA, Mountain West and Pac 12 each have five players; the AAC and ACC have four; and the MAC and Sun Belt have three each. Independents Army, BYU, Liberty and Notre Dame each have one player on the list.
The Paul Hornung Award has created an impressive legacy in 11 years including seven winners who were first round NFL draft picks – DeVonta Smith, Tavon Austin, Odell Beckham Jr., Shaq Thompson, Christian McCaffrey, Jabrill Peppers and Saquon Barkley.
In 2020, players on the Watch List accounted for more than 39,000 total yards. Reminiscent of Hornung during his playing days, members of the Watch List demonstrated a knack for scoring numerous ways. Last season the Watch List players combined for 240 total touchdowns in five different ways – 105 rushing, 112 receiving, two passing, 16 returning kickoffs and five retuning punts.
“We created this award as a way to reward college players who selflessly take on the burden of playing multiple positions, and excel at a high level the way Paul Hornung did for Notre Dame and the Green Bay Packers,” said Karl Schmitt Jr., president and CEO of the Louisville Sports Commission, owners and operators of the Award. “In addition, we wanted to introduce young players to the legacy of Hornung, who said he would do anything his coach asked of him to help his team win games.”
Hornung, who passed away in his hometown at age 84 on Nov. 13, 2020, 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."
More information about the Award can be found at www.paulhornungaward.com.
The 2021 Watch List was compiled by a panel of college football experts based on a combination of 2020 statistics, career performance, SID recommendations and expectations heading into the 2021 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.
2021 Watch List Selections
Jacob Adams, Louisiana Tech
Tyler Allgeier, BYU
Tyler Badie, Missouri
Jake Bailey, Rice
Tank Bigsby, Auburn
Phillip Brooks, Kansas State
Jermaine Brown Jr., UAB
Jordan Byrd, San Diego State
Tyleek Collins, University of Las Vegas
Britain Covey, Utah
Aron Cruickshank, Rutgers
Derius Davis, TCU
Nathaniel Dell, Houston
Jahan Dotson, Penn State
Romeo Doubs, Nevada
Demario Douglas, Liberty
Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
Tresten Ebner, Baylor
Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech
Danny Gray, Southern Methodist
Donavon Greene, Wake Forest
Justin Hall, Ball State
Travell Harris, Washington State
Connor Heyward, MSU
Khaleb Hood, Georgia Southern
Jha'Quan Jackson, Tulane
D'Shawn Jamison, Texas
Cam Johnson, Vandy
Jeshaun Jones, Maryland
Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee
Zonovan Knight, NC State
Jaylan Knighton, Miami
Kenny Logan Jr., Kansas
DJ Matthews, Indiana
Marvin Mims, Oklahoma
Kyle Phillips, UCLA
Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan
Myles Price, Texas Tech
Clint Ratkovich, Northern Illinois
Jayden Reed, Michigan State
Nikko Remigio, Cal
Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State
Stephon Robinson Jr., Northwestern
Tyrell Robinson, Army
Wandale Robinson, Kentucky
Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
Chris Smith, Louisiana Tech
Tyler Snead, East Carolina
Caleb Spurlin, Appalachian State
Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
Keylon Stokes, Tulsa
Deandre Torrey, North Texas
Calvin Turner Jr., Hawaii
Kyren Williams, Notre Dame
Garret Wilson, Ohio State
Mykael Wright, Oregon
Winston Wright Jr., West Virginia