CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – A total of 48 players representing nine conferences plus one independent school that compete for the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) have been selected for the 2024 Paul Hornung Award Pre-Season Watch List, it was announced on Thursday, August 1.
 
Now in its 15th season, the Paul Hornung Award is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football by the Louisville Sports Commission in 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 in Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2025.
 
The ACC had the second-most players of any conference named to the preseason watch list in junior wide receiver Jayden McGowan of Boston College, junior running back Jaydn Ott of Cal, redshirt junior running back Jamal Haynes of Georgia Tech, senior wide receiver Caullin Lacy of Louisville, graduate student defensive back Alijah Huzzie of North Carolina, sophomore wide receiver Kenny Johnson of Pitt, redshirt junior wide receiver Trebor Pena of Syracuse and senior running back Bhayshul Tuten of Virginia Tech.
 
The Paul Hornung Award has created an impressive legacy in 14 years including seven winners who were first-round NFL draft picks – Tavon Austin, Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham Jr., Christian McCaffrey, Jabrill Peppers, DeVonta Smith and Shaq Thompson.
 
Hornung, who passed away in his hometown at age 84 in November 2020, played every position in the offensive backfield during his career with Notre Dame 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 before being 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 both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fames, and Vince Lombardi once called him, “The most versatile man ever to play the game.”
 
The 2024 Watch List was compiled by a panel of college football experts based on a combination of statistics, career performance, SID recommendations and expectations heading into the 2024 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 Weekly Honor Roll are eligible to win the Award.
 
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.
 
Texas Roadhouse signed on as the presenting sponsor of the Paul Hornung Award in 2011 and will partner 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 will open in late September and factor into the selection of the finalists and the winner.
 
More information about the Award can be found at www.paulhornungaward.com.

ACC Representatives on the Paul Hornung Award Watch List:
 
Name, School, Class, Position
Jayden McGowan, Boston College, Junior, WR
Jaydn Ott, Cal, Junior, RB
Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech, Redshirt Junior, RB
Caullin Lacy, Louisville, Senior, WR
Alijah Huzzie, North Carolina, Graduate Student, DB
Kenny Johnson, Pitt, Sophomore, WR
Trebor Pena, Syracuse, Redshirt Junior, WR
Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech, Senior, RB
 
ACC Football Notes

• The ACC is the Conference of Quarterbacks, with the return of full-time starters Thomas Castellanos at Boston College, Cade Klubnik at Clemson, Grayson Loftis at Duke, Haynes King at Georgia Tech, Preston Stone at SMU, and Kyron Drones at Virginia Tech, and transfers DJ Uiagalelei at Florida State, Tyler Shough at Louisville, Cam Ward at Miami, Grayson McCall at NC State, and Kyle McCord at Syracuse among others.
  • ACC had 10 quarterbacks named to the Maxwell Award preseason watch list, no other conference had more.
  • ACC has the top-ranked group of quarterback transfers in 2024 by CBS Sports.
  • 13 QBs in the league enter the 2024 season with over 20 career touchdown passes and 3,500 career passing yards.
  • Eight quarterbacks from ACC schools are projected to start Week 1 in the 2024 NFL season — 25 percent of NFL teams.
  • Since 2018, the ACC has had at least one quarterback drafted in the first round in five different drafts — the only conference to do that.
• The ACC’s non-conference schedule continues to be the most challenging in the country.
  • 27 games against Power 4 opponents, including Notre Dame, the most of any conference.
  • Nine non-conference games against teams ranked in the final 2023 Associated Press Top 25 Poll, the most of any conference.
  • 10 non-conference games against teams in ESPN’s 2024 Way-Too-Early Top 25, the most of any conference.
• ACC Features Elite Coaching Leadership
  • Six ACC head coaches were named to the 2024 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List, as announced by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Peach Bowl, no other conference had more.
  • Two of the three active coaches to win a national title reside in the ACC - Dabo Swinney led Clemson to national titles in 2016 and 2018. North Carolina’s Mack Brown won a national title at Texas in 2005.
• The 2024 ACC Football Championship Game will kick off in primetime at 8 p.m. ET on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 7, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

About the Louisville Sports Commission
The Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) is a Louisville, Kentucky-based 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to create a legacy of economic and social vitality through sports. The LSC attracts and hosts sporting events and activities that have a positive economic impact on Louisville, enhance the area's image as a premier sports destination and promote active lifestyles to improve the quality of life for community members of all ages. More information is available online at www.louisvillesports.org, www.facebook.com/louisvillesportscommission and @SportsinLou.
 
About the NCFAA
Founded in 1997, the National College Football Awards Association includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.
 
About the ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference, in its 72nd year and 18 members strong, stands as one of the most competitive and revered intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members including Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest are dedicated to upholding the league's founding values of academic excellence, athletic competition at the highest level, and integrity. The ACC supports 28 NCAA sports, with 15 for women and 13 for men, and its member institutions span 12 states. In August 2019, the ACC and ESPN partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national network exclusively devoted to ACC sports and original programming. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow the ACC on Instagram (@accsports), Twitter (@theACC) and Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).