Marcus Jones named finalist for Hornung Award

Enterprise native and Houston Cougars senior Marcus Jones was named one of five finalists for the national Paul Hornung Award last week.

Jones joins Michigan’s Blake Corum, Ball State’s Justin Hall, Michigan State’s Jayden Reed and Notre Dame’s Kyren Williams as finalists for the award, which is presented annually to the most versatile player in college football.

To say that Jones has been a versatile player at Houston is an understatement as Jones has caught 10 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown on offense, while securing 44 tackles, six pass breakups and five interceptions on defense. He’s also been the most prolific kick returner in the country leading the nation in punt return touchdowns and second in kickoff return touchdowns with two each.

Against Memphis this past weekend, Jones intercepted two passes – including a highlight reel leaping one-handed grab – as he earned American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Versatility is nothing new for Jones as he was an All-American kick returner and All-Sun Belt cornerback at Troy before transferring to Houston and was an all-state cornerback and athlete at Enterprise. His senior season at EHS, Jones caught one touchdown pass, returned three punt returns for touchdowns, returned one kickoff return for a touchdown and intercepted five passes.

The Hornung Award will be presented in January. A committee of 17 selectors along with an 18th vote from fans will select the winner. Fans can cast their vote at www.louisvillesports.org/paul-hornung/.