Wayne Knight Named to Hornung Award Watch ListWayne Knight Named to Hornung Award Watch List
Isabella Serafini

Wayne Knight

Wayne Knight Named to Hornung Award Watch List

Football

Knight was a finalist for the award in 2025 after posting over 2,000 all-purpose yards

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fifth-year running back Wayne Knight of the UCLA football team was named to the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse on Monday morning. The Louisville Sports Commission hands out the award annually to the most versatile player in major college football.

Knight will be looking to become the Bruins’ first-ever winner of the Hornung Award. Former UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, who also featured as a running back during his freshman season, was named a finalist for the Hornung Award in 2013.

A native of Smyrna, Del., Knight is in his first season at UCLA after transferring from James Madison following a standout four-year career with the Dukes. Knight broke out as a senior at JMU in 2025, as he was named a Second Team All-American and Hornung Award Finalist after accruing a JMU single-season record 2,039 all-purpose yards. That included 1,373 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, helping JMU to a Sun Belt Championship and a berth into the College Football Playoff.

A formal list of candidates is presented to the Paul Hornung Award Selection Committee in early November, with finalists announced on Nov. 6. The winner is announced on Dec. 11.

The Award was created by the LSC in January 2010 with the support of the Paul Hornung himself, a native and lifelong resident of Louisville and member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

In 2016 the Paul Hornung Award became an associate member of the prestigious National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935.

UCLA’s Ticket Information
Season ticket packages for UCLA's upcoming football season are available. Fans can call (310) 206-5991 or email tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information. Single-game home tickets will go on sale at a later date. For more information about tickets, call UCLA Athletic Sales & Service at (310) 206-5991 or via email at tickets@athletics.ucla.edu.