LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- San Diego State senior Jordan Byrd has been named to the 2021 Paul Hornung Award Watch List presented by Texas Roadhouse, the Louisville Sports Commission announced Thursday. Byrd is one of 57 players on the initial list, which goes out to the most versatile player in major college football.
Byrd, who has seen time at running back, kick returner and punt returner throughout his collegiate career, had a good all-around season last year en route to earning second-team all-Mountain West honors as a kick returner. Byrd rushed for 225 yards on 35 carries (6.4 avg.) with two touchdowns, while adding seven catches for 12 yards (1.7 avg.). In the return game, he returned 12 kicks for 383 yards (31.9 avg.) with a 93-yard touchdown and seven punts for 34 yards (4.9 avg.). Byrd led the MW in kick return average (31.92, 7th in FBS), tied for second in kickoff return touchdowns (1, T-5th in FBS) and ranked third in combined kick return yards (417, 22nd in FBS) despite the Aztecs playing only eight games.
Byrd's best game last year came in a 29-17 San Diego State win over Colorado State on Dec. 5 where he was named the MW Special Teams Player of the Week. Byrd returned two kickoffs for a career-high 148 yards (74.0 avg.), including a 93-yard touchdown. The 74.0 kickoff return average was the highest by an Aztec in a game since at least 1996 (min. 2 returns), the second highest in MW history and the second highest in a FBS game in 2020. Additionally, the 148 kickoff return yards were the most by an Aztec since Davion Mauldin totaled 151 yards on Nov. 7, 2009 vs. TCU and the ninth most in program history. Along with a 90-yard punt return TD by BJ Busbee in the second quarter, San Diego State became the first team with a kickoff return and punt return in the same quarter since Tennessee on Oct. 31, 2015 (third quarter at Kentucky).
For his career, Byrd has rushed for 717 yards and six touchdowns on 136 attempts (5.3 avg.), while returning 35 kickoffs for 848 yards (24.2 avg.) and 22 punts for 134 yards (6.1 avg.).
The Aztecs finished 4-4 last year with their four losses coming to teams that went a combined 29-6 (.829).
San Diego State will play seven of its 12 games in 2021 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., and will have only one road contest over the first six weeks of the season. The 2021 home slate features high-profile games against Utah, Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada. Five of the six FBS opponents that the Aztecs will play host to this season finished the 2020 campaign with a .500 or better record. SDSU opens 2021 at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday, Sept. 4 against New Mexico State.
San Diego State football single-game tickets, season tickets and three-game mini plans are all on sale. For more information, click visit GoAztecs.com/tickets. For questions, please contact the Aztec Athletic Ticket Office, either by email at aztix@sdsu.edu, or by phone at 619-283-7378.
Jordan Byrd Named to Paul Hornung Award Watch List
