NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Another Vanderbilt football student-athlete has been added to a preseason watch list with the announcement Thursday by the Louisville Sports Commission that Martel Hight is a candidate for the Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse.
The award is given annually to the most versatile player in college football.
Hight played in all 13 contests for the Commodores a year ago, posting 33 total stops along with career highs of two interceptions and four additional passes broken up at cornerback. He was credited with the first two tackles for loss and forced fumble of his career as well, matching a career best with seven total stops at No. 7 Missouri while recording four tackles, an interception and another pass defended in the Dores’ matchup with fifth-ranked Texas.
In addition, the native of Rome, Georgia, returned 18 punts for 265 yards and a touchdown as he was named honorable mention All-America by Phil Steele and second-team All-SEC as a return specialist after ranking third nationally with an average of 14.7 yards per runback.
Hight and the Commodores—coming off the program’s first bowl victory and winning season since 2103—are slated to begin the campaign against Charleston Southern, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. on Aug. 30 at FirstBank Stadium.
Vanderbilt will open the 2025 season with a 6 p.m. kickoff. Information on season ticket, mini-plan and single-game ticket options for the fall is available here.
