NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Senior wide receiver Cam Johnson was placed on the Paul Hornung Award watch list.
The Paul Hornung Award, now in its 12th season, is given annually by the Louisville Sports Commission to the most versatile player in major college football and is in the 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 at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville in March.
Johnson has been named to the preseason All-SEC teams by Athlon Sports (wide receiver; 4th team), Phil Steele (punt returner and wide receiver; 4th teams) and Pro Football Focus (3rd team).
A product of Brentwood, Tennessee, Johnson has played 25 career games (14 starts) and owns 90 receptions for 906 yards (10.1 yards/catch) and six touchdowns. He has career averages of 3.6 catches/game and 36.2 yards/game.
Johnson has collected 20 games with two or more receptions, including a career-high 14 against Ole Miss in 2020, and six games with five or more catches. He has seven games with 50 or more receiving yards with a personal-best 114 at Mississippi State in 2020.
As a returner, Johnson has ran back five punts for 46 yards (9.2 yards/return) and two kickoffs for 41 yards (20.5 yards/return) in his career.
Johnson finished the 2020 campaign on a strong note by averaging 7.8 receptions and 69.7 yards per contest during the final seven games. He finished as the team leader in receptions (56) and receiving yards (545), had three receiving touchdowns, was third on team in total touchdowns (3) and second in all-purpose yards (632).
“We created this award as a way to reward college players who selflessly take on the burden of playing multiple positions, and excel at a high level the way Paul Hornung did for Notre Dame and the Green Bay Packers,” Karl Schmitt Jr., president and CEO of the Louisville Sports Commission, owners and operators of the Award, said. “In addition, we wanted to introduce young players to the legacy of Hornung, who said he would do anything his coach asked of him to help his team win games.”
The Commodores are set to kick off the 2021 season by hosting East Tennessee State at 7 p.m. on Sept. 4. Season tickets, mini plans and single-game tickets are available through the Vanderbilt ticket office.
Vanderbilt Student-Athletes on 2021 NCFAA Watch Lists
Bednarik Award: Anfernee Orji
Doak Walker Award: Re’Mahn Davis
Butkus Award: Anfernee Orji
Wuerffel Award: Elijah McAllister
Paul Hornung Award: Cam Johnson