ORLANDO – UCF football junior Xavier Townsend was named to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List, as announced by the Louisville Sports Commission on Wednesday.
Townsend started 10 of 11 games in 2023 and was third-leading receiver on the Knights with 33 catches for 325 yards and three touchdowns. He tallied 142 punt return yards in 2023 and had a punt return for a touchdown called back because of a penalty. He averaged 9.47 yards per punt return, the fourth best in the Big 12 Conference.
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 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 Nov. 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.”