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Awards and Rewards
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December 11th
Travis Hunter first repeat winner of the Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player)
From the Daily Camera … Colorado star Travis Hunter continues to make history.
On Wednesday, the Buffaloes’ junior cornerback/receiver was announced as the winner of the Paul Hornung Award, which is presented annually by the Louisville Sports Commission to the most versatile player in major college football.
The other finalists were Isaac Brown of Louisville and Tyler Warren of Penn State.
Hunter won the Hornung in 2023, as well, and is the first two-time winner in the 15-year history of the award.
“I’d like to thank all of my teammates and believe the awards I’m winning are team awards,” Hunter said in a Hornung Award press release. “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.”
The award is in honor of the late Hornung, considered one of the greatest all-around players in the history of the sport. At Notre Dame, Hornung starred on offense, defense and special teams as a kicker and punter, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1956. During his 10-year Hall of Fame career with the Green Bay Packers, Hornung was a halfback and kicker.
“Travis is HIM. A one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime player,” CU head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders said. “Thank you to the selection committee because they saw how special he was last year. This year he took it to another level and the rest of the nation is taking notice, but the Hornung Award and its selectors will be remembered for recognizing it before others. God bless you all.”
… Continue reading story here …
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December 10th
Travis Hunter a PFF First Team All-American on both offense and defense
From Pro Football Focus … With college football’s conference championship weekend in the rearview mirror, it’s time for bowl season and, more importantly, the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
Before those games kick off, let’s look back at the top players in college football at every position with PFF’s 2024 All-America team.
From the Big 12 …
Wide Receiver: Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona Wildcats
McMillan was one of the few things that went right for Arizona this year in a disappointing 4-8 season. The projected top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft leads all Power Four players with 1,316 receiving yards and is tied for third in the FBS with his 18 contested catches. McMillan was also incredibly dangerous after the catch, placing fourth among the nation’s wideouts with 28 forced missed tackles on receptions.
Flex: Travis Hunter, Colorado Buffaloes
This isn’t the last time you’ll see Hunter on this list, which is why he’s the heavy favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy. Colorado’s two-way superstar leads the Power Four with 14 receiving touchdowns and ranks third with 1,152 receiving yards. His 86.2 PFF offensive grade places fifth among all wideouts in college football.
Right Tackle: Spencer Fano, Utah Utes
Fano’s ability to maul defenders in the run game made him the most valuable FBS tackle, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. His 91.8 PFF run-blocking grade is more than three points better than any other offensive tackle in college football. The true sophomore is no slouch in pass protection, either, earning an 80.3 PFF grade in that aspect.
Cornerback: Travis Hunter, Colorado Buffaloes
Hunter’s 90.9 PFF coverage grade ranks third among all cornerbacks. His 42.0 passer rating allowed places ninth among Power Four cornerbacks, while his four interceptions are tied for the fourth most among that same group. And he did all that while also starting at wide receiver for the Buffaloes.
Return Specialist: Keelan Marion, BYU Cougars
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December 9th
Travis Hunter wins the 2024 Lott IMPACT Trophy
Press Release from CUBuffs.com … Colorado’s Travis Hunter was named the winner of the 2024 Lott IMPACT Trophy presented by Allied Universal, given to college football’s defensive IMPACT player of the year, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation announced Monday.
The award is named in honor of Ronnie Lott, a two time All-American for USC and a College Football Hall of Fame inductee who went on to win four Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers and earn a spot in the Pro Football’s Hall of Fame. The award is given annually to the nation’s top defensive player, who also exhibits the characteristics of Lott by making an impact on and off the field.
IMPACT is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. Past winners of the award include Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson, Auburn’s Derrick Brown, Iowa’s Josey Jewell and Wisconsin’s JJ Watt.
Hunter embodies all phases of the award as a first-team Academic All-American last year with a 4.0 semester and above a 3.7 overall grade point average. When he was injured due to a late hit his junior season, he embraced the player the following week on his social media channels, curbing threats the player was receiving.
The first true two-way star in a generation, Hunter has played 1,360 snaps on offense and defense this season and leads the Power 4 in receiving touchdowns (14), is second in receptions (92) and yards (1,152). On defense, he has been targeted 39 times, third fewest in the P4 and has given up an FBS leading six first downs (for players with 300 or more snaps). He also has 15 passes defended (four interceptions, 11 pass breakups), tied for third in the P4 despite only having 39 targets, and his four interceptions is tied for fifth among P4 players.
He has caught 92 passes and allowed just 22 receptions, caught 14 touchdowns and allowed just one and has 53 first downs on offense and given up just six.
More specific to defense on the field, he had the sixth-best PFF grade for coverage, the seventh best as a cornerback for overall defense and the third best cornerback for run defense, fueled by a walk-off forced fumble in overtime against Baylor.
He is also a finalist for several other awards, including the Walter Camp and Maxwell overall player of the year awards, the Bednarik defensive player of the year award, the Hornung most versatile player of the year and the Biletnikoff award given to the nation’s best receiver regardless of position.
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Four Heisman Trophy Finalists Announced (Shedeur Sanders not invited)
Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith took home the Offensive True Freshman of the Year award, while South Carolina EDGE Dylan Stewart took home the Defensive True Freshman of the Year honors.
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December 6th
Jordan Seaton and Cash Cleveland named to On3 Sports Freshman All-American Team …
From On3Sports …
OL Jordan Seaton, Colorado
Jordan Seaton has been the top true freshman offensive lineman throughout the season. The former five-star-plus prospect manned the left tackle spot for Colorado, playing over 800 snaps and performed very well, particularly in pass protection. According to Pro Football Focus, Seaton surrendered just three sacks and 16 hurries, which is among the best of the group of Power Four offensive tackles who started as true freshmen.
Seaton came into college with a high level of polish in addition to play strength. We felt that he would be the most ready to contribute as a true freshman among the top offensive tackles nationally, and that proved to be the case. Seaton looks to be a foundational building block along the offensive line as Deion Sanders continues to rebuild Colorado’s program.
OL Cash Cleveland, Colorado
Since taking over at center for Colorado midseason, Cash Cleveland has been one of the top true freshman offensive linemen in the nation. Similar to fellow Buff offensive lineman Jordan Seaton, Cleveland has been very good in pass protection, surrendering just one pressure and zero sacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Based on how he’s played to this point in the season, Cleveland looks to be a lock starter at center for the Buffaloes next season, giving Deion Sanders a steady, proven center who has played at a high level in the Big 12.
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December 5th
All Big 12 Awards: Shedeur Offensive POY; Travis Defensive POY; 13 Buffs in all honored
Press release from CUBuffs.com … Travis Hunter, BJ Green II, and Shedeur Sanders all took home Player of the Year awards and were a part of 13 Colorado Buffaloes given Big 12 honors by the league’s head coaches, it was announced Thursday.
Travis Hunter continues to add awards and honors to his collection with Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year becoming Colorado’s first Conference DPOY since Jordon Dizon in 2007. Hunter was also named a Unanimous First Team selection at defensive back one of only two players to earn the distinction this season. On the offensive side of the ball, Hunter was named All-Big 12 First Team as a wide receiver and was an Honorable Mention for Offensive Player of the Year.
All of these come after he put up a staggering 31 tackles, 11 pass breakups tied for first in the Big 12, four interceptions tied for second in the Big 12, 15 passes defended ranked first in the Big 12, and a game-winning forced fumble on defense. Offensively he recorded 92 receptions and ranked first in the Big 12 and fifth in the NCAA, with 1,152 receiving yards which is second in the Big 12 and fifth in the country, 14 receiving touchdowns to lead the conference and is second in the NCAA, and 21 receiving plays of 20 yards or more which leads the entire country.
Shedeur Sanders took home the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team Quarterback spot after rewriting the Colorado record book this season. Sanders ranked first in the country in completions percentage at 74.2%, second in completions with 367, third in passing yards, and second in the NCAA with 35 passing touchdowns.
Sanders finished the regular season going 338-of-454, 74.4%, for 3,936 yards, 35 TDs, 8 INT, and QBR 169.2. A few of the records he has broken this season:
• He set the new CU record for passing yards, having already held the record for yards in a regular season, surpassing Koy Detmer’s record of 3,527 set in 1996.
• He set a new CU record for completions in a season, surpassing Sefo Liufau’s total of 325 in 2014.
• He extended his CU record for passing touchdowns to 35 and touchdowns responsible for to 39.
• His completion percentage of 74.4 is on pace to break his own record of 69.3 set last season.
• His QB rating of 169.2 is on pace to break his own school record of 152.7 set last season.
With Hunter and Sanders taking home both the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, this marks only the third time in school history claiming both. The other two times were in back-to-back years in 1989 and 1990 when Darian Hagan and Alfred Williams took them home in 1989 and Eric Bieniemy and Alfred Williams in 1990.
BJ Green II in his first season at Colorado took home the Defensive Newcomer of the Year. After spending his first three seasons of college at Arizona State, Green transferred in and made an immediate impact on the defensive line. Finishing with 30 tackles, 19 unassisted tackles, 12 tackles for loss, seven-and-a-half sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
He finished the regular season second in the Big 12 and 29th in the country. After not recording a sack in the first four games of the season, he finished seven of the last eight games with at least half a sack. In addition to his sacks, he ended the season ranked third in the Big 12 with 12 tackles for loss. Green is the first player to win Defensive Newcomer of the Year since Jordon Dizon in 2004.
With three players taking home a Conference Player of the Year Award, this ties the school record for most in a single season done in 1990.
Nikhai Hill-Green was named All-Big 12 Second Team at linebacker after finishing the season with 82 tackles, 53 unassisted tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, two interceptions, and two sacks. He ranked 13th in the conference in tackles, 5th in solo tackles, and fourth in tackles for loss.
Nine other players were named to the All-Big 12 Honorable Mention this season.
Preston Hodge recorded 33 tackles, 21 unassisted tackles, seven pass breakups, and two interceptions. His seven pass breakups are tied for ninth in the Big 12 despite missing the final three games of the season.
Alejandro Mata scored a career-high 89 points making all 53 of his extra points. He finished the season going 12-14 on field goals making 10 consecutive to end the regular season.
Taje McCoy in his first season seeing consistent playing time made some big plays for Colorado. He ended the season with 20 tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss, and two quarterback hurries. All three of his sacks came on third downs to force teams to punt the ball.
DJ McKinney finished the regular season leading the Big 12 cornerbacks with 60 tackles. He also added 11 passes defended ranked sixth in the conference, nine pass breakups tied for fourth in the Big 12, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble. In the last game against Oklahoma State, he recorded his first career pick-six against his former team.
Chidozie Nwankwo was a staple in the middle of the defense this season, ending with 25 tackles, 16 unassisted, three tackles for loss, one-and-a-half sacks, and one fumble recovery. The numbers don’t tell the whole story, playing inside he made everyone’s job easier behind him by holding down the middle and taking on blocks which is why he was not only an Honorable Mention at Defensive Line, but also for Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Jordan Seaton came to Colorado with a lot of hype and attention, and he has lived up to the hype. He was an Honorable Mention for Offensive Freshman of the Year after playing a team-leading 767 snaps on the offensive line only giving up three sacks and four quarterback hits on 578 pass blocking snaps. He did not give up a sack in the last seven games of the season according to PFF.
Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig was often described as the heartbeat of the defense, and he delivered every week. He was the team-leading tackler with 88, 64 unassisted tackles, eight-and-a-half tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries, three pass breakups, two sacks, and two fumble recoveries including his 95-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown against UCF which is tied for the second-longest fumble return in CU history.
Mark Vassett averaged 43. 8 yards per punt on 49 attempts. He finished the season with 19 inside the 20, only two touchbacks, and a NET average of 37.7 yards per punt.
LaJohntay Wester in his first and only season at Colorado made his mark finishing the season with 70 receptions for 880 yards and 10 touchdowns receiving and a punt return touchdown. He is now in the record books for this season as his 70 receptions are ninth all-time at CU, his 880 yards rank 15th and 10 touchdowns rank fourth. His 322 career catches rank tied for sixth in FBS history. He was an Honorable Mention for Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
Along with all the Big 12 honors, Sanders was named a finalist for the Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The winner will be announced after the College Football Playoff National Championship in January.
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Press release from the Big 12 … The All-Big 12 Conference football teams and individual award winners have been announced. Selections are made by the league’s head coaches, who are not permitted to vote for their own players.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, QB, Sr.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Travis Hunter, Colorado, DB, Jr.
OFFENSIVE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Jordyn Tyson (former Buff), Arizona State, WR, R-So.
DEFENSIVE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
BJ Green II, Colorado, DE, Sr.
OFFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Sam Leavitt, Arizona State, QB
DEFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Josiah Trotter, West Virginia, LB
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Will Ferrin, BYU, K, R-Jr.
Jaylin Noel, Iowa State, PR/KR, Sr.
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Wyatt Milum, West Virginia, Sr.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Brendan Mott, Kansas State, DE, Sr.
CHUCK NEINAS COACH OF THE YEAR
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State, 2nd season
SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech, RB, Sr.
Jalon Daniels, Kansas, QB, R-Jr.
Shedeur Sanders was selected as the Offensive Player of the Year following a banner season ranked in the top 10 nationally in completion percentage, passing yards and touchdowns while breaking school records for passing touchdowns, passing yards, consecutive games with a touchdown pass, quarterback rating and completion percentage.
With four interceptions, 11 pass breakups and a record-breaking season on both sides of the ball, Travis Hunter became CU’s first Conference Defensive Player of the Year since Jordon Dizon in 2007. The defensive back also became the first player in Big 12 history to tally multiple games with an interception and an offensive touchdown.
Jordyn Tyson was selected as the Offensive Newcomer of the Year after tallying 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns. The wideout elevated his play during the final three games of the regular season, recording 29 catches for 444 yards and three touchdowns. Tyson also finished the season second in the Big 12 in touchdown catches (10) and third in receiving yards (1,101).
BJ Green II, the Big 12’s Newcomer of the Year on the defensive side, spearheaded a disruptive CU defensive unit with seven-and-a-half sacks that tied for the second most among all Big 12 players. He played a pivotal role in the Colorado pass rush finishing the regular season with a Big 12-best 37 sacks, which ranks 11th nationally.
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One Reply to “Awards and Rewards”
Wait a minute. Seaton and Cash are FRESHMAN All Americans? I thought Prime didn’t recruit freshmen?