In one of the least surprising results of the 2014 award season, Shaq Thompson has staked his claim to a trophy honoring the most versatile player in the country.
Friday morning, it was announced that the Washington linebacker/running back/running backer/running Shaqer has been named as the 2014 recipient of the Hornung Award. Other finalists for this year’s version of the award, which honors versatile former Notre Dame great Paul Hornung, were Nebraska running back/return specialist Ameer Abdullah, TCU running back/return specialist B.J. Catalon, Stanford wide receiver/return specialist Ty Montgomery and Missouri running back/return specialist Marcus Murphy.
This season, Thompson scored six touchdowns -- four defensively, two on offense. The four defensive touchdowns (three on fumble returns, on an interception return) were the most at the FBS level.
Offensively, he was second on the Huskies in rushing yards with 456.
“I’m very pleased for Shaq,” said UW Head Coach Chris Petersen. “This is an honor that he has earned on the field and off. For a player to perform at such a high level in so many different ways is so unusual and impressive. We’re grateful that all of his hard work has been recognized.”
This is the fifth year the Hornung Award has been handed out. Past recipients include LSU’s Odell Beckham (2013), West Virginia’s Tavon Austin (2012), Georgia’s Brandon Boykin (2011) and Stanford’s Owen Marecic (2010).
