LOUISVILLE, Ky. — UTSA senior wide receiver Joshua Cephus has been chosen for the Paul Hornung Award Watch List presented by Texas Roadhouse, the Louisville Sports Commission announced on Thursday.
Cephus is one 53 players, including one of five from the American Athletic Conference, named to the list for the award given annually to the most versatile player in major college football.
A native of Houston, Cephus was a second-team All-Conference USA selection at wide receiver and honorable mention all-league choice at punt returner in 2022. He caught 87 passes for 985 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 11.3 yards per catch and 75.8 yards per contest. He returned nine punts for 36 yards with a long of 17, and he also rushed three times for 10 yards and completed both pass attempts for a total of 12 yards. He logged three 100-yard receiving games including a season-high 114 and a score on five receptions in the 52-24 win over Texas Southern.
An honorable mention all-conference performer in 2020 and 2021, Cephus has played in 51 career contests with 43 starts for the Roadrunners. He will enter his final campaign with 224 catches for 2,504 yards and 18 touchdowns, marks that each rank second on UTSA's career list.
Now in its 14th 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 March 2024 in Louisville.
The 2023 Paul Hornung Award 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 2023 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.
Under the direction of two-time conference coach of the year Jeff Traylor, the Roadrunners are coming off an 11-3 campaign that saw them capture their second straight Conference USA crown and play in a bowl game for the third year in a row. UTSA has been ranked in the top 25 in each of the last two seasons and boasts a combined 23 wins over that span, the fourth-best total among all FBS teams behind only Georgia (29), Michigan (25) and Alabama (24).
The Roadrunners have been picked to finish second in the AAC Preseason Media Poll and will kick off their 13th season of play on Saturday, Sept. 2, when they travel to Houston to face the Cougars at 6 p.m. at TDECU Stadium.
UTSA will face Texas State for the home opener at 2:30 p.m. the following Saturday at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners will host Army at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, UAB on Oct. 14, East Carolina on Oct. 28, Rice on Nov. 11 and South Florida at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17.
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now by calling 210-458-UTSA (8872) or visiting goUTSA.com/tickets.
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