The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Worthy named to Paul Hornung Award watch list
08.03.2023 | Football
Texas junior WR Xavier Worthy was selected to the watch list for the award honoring college football’s most versatile player.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Texas junior wide receiver Xavier Worthy was named to the preseason watch list for the Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse, the Louisville Sports Commission announced Thursday. It marks the first time Worthy has been included on the preseason watch list.
Xavier Worthy has been named to the preseason watch list for the Paul Hornung Award 🤘 @XavierWorthy pic.twitter.com/FwKSXSQKT8
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) August 3, 2023
Worthy is a third-year wide receiver who has played in and started 25 games. The Fresno, Calif. native has 122 career receptions for 1,741 yards and 21 touchdowns. His 21 career touchdown receptions rank third all-time in Texas history and his 122 career receptions are the 14th-most ever for a Longhorn. In 2022, he was a second-team All-Big 12 selection by the league's coaches and the Associated Press after leading the conference and ranking 19th in the nation with nine touchdown receptions, while tying for fourth in the Big 12 receptions (60), ranking fifth receiving yards (760), and seventh in receiving yards per game (58.5) and receptions per game (4.6). His 21 career touchdown receptions lead all returning Power 5 players and rank second among FBS receivers. Worthy also served as the punt returner for Texas in 2022, totaling 146 yards on 15 returns (9.7 ypr) with a long of 29 yards and four returns of at least 21 yards.
Last season, Worthy was named to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll following Texas' victory over West Virginia, in which he caught seven passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns, threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Tavion Sanders and served as the punt returner for the Longhorns.
In addition to the Paul Hornung Award watch list, Worthy has been named to the Maxwell Award preseason watch list and was the lone unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team by the conference's media representatives. Additionally, he has been recognized as a preseason All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Phil Steele and Athlon Sports.
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 Louisville, Ky., in March 2024.
The 2023 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 Honor Roll are eligible to win the Award.
