Laramie, Wyo. (July 28, 2022) – University of Wyoming junior running back Titus Swen was named to the Paul Hornung Award Preseason Watch List by the Louisville Sports Commission on Thursday.  The award honors the most versatile player in major college football.  The Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse is in its 13th year and is being Presented by Texas Roadhouse for the 12th consecutive season.  This is the first time Swen has been named to the preseason list. 
 
More information about the Award may be found at www.paulhornungaward.com.
 
Swen is coming off an extremely productive 2021 season.  He earned Second Team All-Mountain West Conference honors from Pro Football Focus, while rushing for a career high 785 yards and seven touchdowns.  He also led Wyoming in kickoff returns, with 12, and kickoff return yardage, with 231 yards.  Swen added five pass receptions for 24 yards to end the season with 1,040 all-purpose yards for an average of 80.0 all-purpose yards per game. 
     
Swen averaged 5.95 yards per carry to rank No. 2 in the Mountain West and No. 26 in the nation.  He recorded two 100-yard rushing games in '21 -- 166 yards in a home win over Colorado State and 169 yards in a road win over eventual Mountain West Champion Utah State.  The 169 yards at Utah State included a 98-yard run for a touchdown that put on display Swen's explosive running style.
 
The Louisville Sports Commission named 52 multi-talented college football players to the 2022 watch list.  The Hornung Award was established by the Louisville Sports Commission 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 2023.
 
Players on the 2022 Watch List represent 52 teams from all 10 football conferences and three independents that are part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.  The Big Ten leads the conferences with eight players on the Watch List, the Big 12 and the AAC each have seven, the MAC has six, the SEC and the ACC have four, the Pac 12 has three and the Sun Belt has two. Independents Army, Liberty and Notre Dame each have one player on the list.
 
The Paul Hornung Award has created an impressive legacy in 12 years including seven winners who were first round NFL draft picks – Tavon Austin, Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham Jr., Christian McCaffrey, Jabrill Peppers, DeVonta Smith and Shaq Thompson.  Houston speedster Marcus Jones won the Award in 2021 as a defensive back who returned kickoffs and punts and saw spot duty on offense.  Jones was drafted by the New England Patriots.
           
In 2021, the 52 players on this season's Watch List accounted for more than 25,000 total yards in total offense and 215 touchdowns rushing, receiving and 16 returning kickoffs and five punts.  On defense, the player combined for 325 tackles, six interceptions and one safety.
 
"Paul Hornung's approach to playing football at Notre Dame and the Green Bay Packers was to take on any assignment in order to help his team win games," said Karl Schmitt Jr., president & CEO of the Louisville Sports Commission, owners and operators of the Award.  "We created this award as a way to reward college players who selflessly take on the burden of playing multiple positions and exceling at a high level. In addition, we are pleased to introduce new generations of players to the legacy of Hornung, recognized as one of the most versatile players in the history of college and pro football."
 
Hornung, who passed away in his hometown at age 84 on Nov. 13, 2020, played every position in the offensive backfield during his career with the Irish in the 1950s and also played defensive safety, punted, placekicked and returned kickoffs.  He was named All-America at quarterback as a senior and won the Heisman Trophy in 1956, then was the first player selected in the NFL draft, going to Green Bay.  He earned NFL MVP honors for the Packers in 1961 as a triple-threat halfback and placekicker by setting a single-season NFL scoring record that stood for 46 years.  He is a member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and Vince Lombardi once called him, "The most versatile man ever to play the game."
 
The 2022 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 2022 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 Honor Roll are eligible to win the Award.