Selection Process

Overview

For promotion, a panel of college football experts will create a Watch List of approximately 50 players that will be announced in early August. Additionally, LSC staff and outside experts will select and recognize outstanding performers each week during the course of the season. Press releases will be distriibuted to sports journalists throughout the nation and to sports information directors at all FBS schools and will be posted on www.paulhornungaward.com.

For the actual selection, a 16-member Selection Committee will vote for finalists in early December following the regular season and conference championship games. The Selection Committee will choose the winner from among the finalists after they compete in bowl games. Voting for the winner will take place during the bowl season with specific dates to be announced. For the first time in 2011, fans nationwide had the opportunity to vote for the Award. The public accounting firm Dean Dorton Allen Ford will tabulate the votes for the Finalists and Award winner. Selection Committee voting will be conducted via email. Fan voting will be conducted on Facebook. No member of the LSC board, staff, or Hornung Award Advisory Committee will receive or tabulate votes. A five-step process will be used to identify candidates, promote the Award and select the Finalists and the Award winner:

A panel of college football experts will develop an Official Watch List with input from the Selection Committee and other sources.
Names will be added to the Official Watch list as the season progresses based upon player performance. LSC staff will select top performers and featured games during the season.
Selection Committee members will vote for Finalists using a 5-3-1 point system (1st place – 5 points; 2nd place – 3 points; 3rd place – 1 point). A designated number of players with the most points will comprise the Finalist List.
Selection Committee members will select their top three from the finalist pool, ranked in order 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place. The 5-3-1 point system will be used to determine the winner.
Fan voting on Facebook will account for the 17th vote, approximately 6% of the overall votes, using the 5-3-1 point system. (The player with the most fan votes will receive 5 points; the player with the second most votes will receive 3 points; the player with third most votes will recevie 1 point.) Results of fan voting will be cumulative during season. Fan voting for Finalists will open September 5 and close December 4. Fan voting totals will be cleared once the Finalists are selected. Finalists will be announced the Friday following the close of voting. Voting for the winner will take place during the bowl season with specific dates and details to be announced.

Criteria

To be eligible, a candidate must be in good standing and eligible on his team during the selection process, eligible with the NCAA during the selection process and play significant time during most or all of the season. Decisions regarding student-athlete status for the Award will be made by the LSC staff and Advisory Committee. In addition to starting or playing significant downs on offense or defense, candidates will be measured by performance from among one or more of the following:

Playing multiple positions on offense and/or multiple positions on defense
Playing a significant role on special teams
Performing as a two-way player who starts either on offense or defense and is used on the other side of the ball in some impactful capacity
Making a significant impact during big games and elevating the team’s performance through leadership displayed by excelling in multiple roles

Timeline

The essence of the Award – versatility enabling a player to make an impact at numerous positions on the field – suggests that a dynamic list of candidates will emerge as the college football season progresses. With this factor in mind, the Paul Hornung Award Advisory Committee and Selection Committee will adhere to the following timeline:

Develop and publicize an Official Watch List in August.
Recognize outstanding performances periodically during the season.
Vote for and announce the Award Finalists in early December.
Vote for and announce the Winner at or near the completion of college bowl season.
Host the winner in late January or early February at the official awards banquet in Louisville, Kentucky.

2011 Selection Committee Members

The Paul Hornung Award Selection Committee is comprised of college football experts from around the country. Selection committee members vote on finalists for the Paul Hornung Award in December and a winner in early January following the conclusion bowl games that contain finalists.

Mark Blaudschun, National college football writer, Boston Globe
Tim Brando, CBS Sports play-by-play announcer; host College Football Today
Gil Brandt, NFL.com personnel guru; recognized as pioneer in NFL / college football scouting for Dallas Cowboys
Christine Brennan, USA Today national sports columnist; author; commentator ABC News, Fox Sports Radio, ESPN
Joe DeLamielleure, All-America OL at Michigan St, NFL Hall of Fame with Buffalo (retired)
Ron Higgins, SEC football writer, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Dan Jenkins, Celebrated sports author; Golf Digest; Sports Illustrated (retired)
Sam Madison, Sports radio host; retired NFL All Pro DB & Super Bowl NY Giants
Ivan Maisel, National columnist and college football editor, ESPN.com; author
Jeremy Schaap, ESPN anchor / reporter; ABC News correspondent; author
George Schroeder, Columnist, Eugene (Oregon) Register Guard
Phil Simms, CBS Sports analyst; retired NY Giants All-Pro / Super Bowl MVP QB
Aaron Taylor, CBS College Sports Network; DL Notre Dame & Green Bay Packers
Lesley Visser, CBS Sports reporter, voted No. 1 female sports journalist of all time
Kelly Whiteside, National college football writer, USA Today
Will Wolford, Indianapolis Colts Radio analyst; retired NFL All Pro offensive lineman; played in three Super Bowls with Buffalo