Travis Hunter wins Paul Hornung Award for Colorado football

A potential big week for Travis Hunter has started on a high note.

On Wednesday, the Colorado football two-way star player was named the recipient of the 2024 Paul Hornung Award.

It is the second straight year that Hunter has won the award, which is handed out to the most versatile player in the major college football — marking a first in the award’s history.

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“I’d like to thank all of my teammates and believe the awards I’m winning are team awards,” Hunter said in a statement. “Especially the Paul Hornung Award for the most versatile player.

“I couldn’t do it without each of my teammates. I want to thank the Louisville Sports Commission and the Paul Hornung Award voters for blessing me with this award twice. I’d also like to thank Coach Prime for allowing me to do what I do and all the coaches and staff surrounding the CU football team. This is for all of us.”

It is the second award in the last 48 hours that Hunter has won, with the other being the Lott IMPACT Trophy. He is a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, which will be announced on Saturday in New York.

The Suwannee, Georgia native was one of the more dominant players in college football this season, playing at least 55 snaps each on defense and offense per game. He finished the regular season with 1,152 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns on 92 receptions, adding 31 total tackles, 11 broken-up passes, four interceptions and a forced fumble.

As noted in the Paul Hornung Award’s news release, Hunter led the country with 21 offensive plays of at least 20 yards in the regular season. Hunter will lead Colorado (9-3 overall) into its Alamo Bowl matchup against BYU on Saturday, Dec. 28 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Here’s what you need to know about the Paul Hornung Award, including its past recipients, and Hunter’s college football awards won this season:

What is the Paul Hornung Award?

As noted by the Paul Hornung Award’s website, the award is given annually by the Louisville Sports Commission to the most versatile player in major college football.

It was created in 2010 by the Louisville Sports Commission and Paul Hornung, who won the 1956 Heisman Trophy at Notre Dame and was drafted No. 1 overall in the 1957 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers. He is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.