Berrios Named to Hornung Award Watch List
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Senior Braxton Berrios was among the 46 student-athletes named to the watch list for the 2017 Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse, the Louisville Sports Commission announced Monday.
The Paul Hornung Award, now in its eighth season, is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football. The winner and his family will be honored at the annual Paul Hornung Award Banquet presented by KentuckyOne Health, to be held at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville on March 8, 2018. This will be The Paul Hornung Award’s second year as an associate member of the prestigious National College Football Awards Association.
Berrios is the seventh Hurricane to pick up accolades this preseason; senior kicker Michael Badgley (Groza Award), senior tight end Christopher Herndon IV (Mackey Award), junior defensive lineman Kendrick Norton (Bednarik Award, Nagurski Award, Outland Trophy), sophomore linebacker Shaquille Quarterman (Bednarik, Nagurski), senior defensive lineman Chad Thomas (Nagurski) and running back Mark Walton (Maxwell Award) have also been recognized with preseason accolades.
As a junior in 2016, Berrios saw action in all 13 games and made three starts at wide receiver while also serving as Miami’s primary punt returner. Berrios finished with 178 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns and ranked 11th nationwide in punt return average. He averaged 11.3 yards per punt on 19 returns, and totaled 215 return yards with one return touchdown. In Miami’s final game of 2016, Berrios led the Hurricanes with 75 all-purpose yards – including 64 receiving yards and a 26-yard receiving touchdown – in a 31-14 romp of West Virginia in the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
“We have a terrific Watch List again this year,” said Paul Hornung, namesake of the Award, whom legendary Coach Vince Lombardi called “the most versatile man ever to play the game.” “I love the fact that we recognize players who have the skill and the right mind set to play anyplace on the field to help their team win games.”
The 2017 Watch List is comprised of one graduate student, 23 seniors, 19 juniors, and three sophomores who play a total of nine different positions. They represent 45 universities in 28 states coast-to-coast across the 10 conferences that are part of the
NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The ACC leads the conferences with 10 players, followed by the SEC with eight players, and the Big Ten with five players.
Players on this year’s Watch List accounted for 10,724 rushing yards, 16,853 receiving yards, 13,548 kickoff return yards, 4,092 punt return yards, and 394 total tackles in 2016. 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 291 total touchdowns in six different ways – passing, rushing, receiving, punt return, kickoff return, and interception.
The 2017 Watch List was compiled by a panel of college football experts based on a combination of 2016 statistics, career performance, SID recommendations, and expectations heading into the 2017 season. Profiles of each player and information about the Award can be found at www.paulhornungaward.com. Players will be added to the Watch List during the 2017 regular season based on performance.
