Five Players from Four Conferences Earn Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll in Week Three
Zachariah Branch, Georgia; Dalen Cobb, Georgia Southern; Martel Hight, Vanderbilt; Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State; Sutton Smith, Memphis named to PHA Honor Roll Week Three
Award Presented by Texas Roadhouse to Most Versatile Player in Major College Football
Louisville, Ky. – Sept. 16, 2025 – Five players representing the SEC, Sun Belt, Big Ten and American conferences were named to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll for their performances in week three of the college football season. Making the list are Zachariah Branch, Georgia; Dalen Cobb, Georgia Southern; Martel Hight, Vanderbilt; Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State; and Sutton Smith, Memphis.
The National College Football Awards Association will honor Hight as the Paul Hornung Award Player-of-the-Week for his performance in the Commodores’ conference road win over South Carolina.
Georgia junior wide receiver / return specialist Zachariah Branch touched the ball seven times three different ways and scored twice in the Bulldogs’ wild, 44-41 overtime road win over Tennessee. Branch caught six passes for 69 yards, including a 36-yard scoring reception that helped bring Georgia erase a 14-point deficit in the second quarter and a two-point conversion that tied the score late in the game. He carried the ball one time, accounted for three first downs from scrimmage and returned a kickoff to the 28-yard line.
Georgia Southern wide receiver / return specialist Dalen Cobb touched the ball nine times three different ways and scored on a 95-yard kickoff return in the Eagles’ 41-34 home win over Jacksonville State. Cobb carried the ball six times for 70 yards, caught a 12-yard pass and accounted for five first downs, including a nine-yard first down reception on the winning touchdown drive. He returned the opening kickoff 40 yards and returned the next kickoff for a score.
Vanderbilt junior wide receiver / defensive back / return specialist Martel Hight played 47 totals snaps on offense, defense and special teams, touched the ball rushing, receiving and returning punts and made two tackles on defense in the Commodores’ 31-7 conference road win over South Carolina. Hight carried the ball once and caught four passes for 33 yards, including an 18-yard, first down reception into South Carolina territory on a Vandy scoring drive. He made a key block on a 44-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter that pushed the lead to 21-7 and put the game out of reach. Hight also returned one punt and fair caught a punt.
Ohio State sophomore wide receiver / return specialist Jeremiah Smith touched the ball 11 times three different ways – rushing, receiving and returning a punt – and scored two different ways in the Buckeyes’ 37-9 home win over Ohio. Smith caught nine passes for 153 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown reception late in the third quarter that expanded OSU’s lead to 23-9, then added a 17-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. He accounted for seven first downs from scrimmage.
Memphis junior running back / return specialist Sutton Smith touched the ball 26 times three different ways and scored twice in the Tigers’ 28-7 conference road win over Troy. Smith carried the ball 18 times for 118 yards, including a two-yard scoring run in the first quarter and a 50-yard sprint to the end zone late in the second quarter that put the game out of reach. He caught two passes, returned two punts for 10 yards and fair caught four punts. Smith accounted for three first downs rushing.
The Louisville Sports Commission successfully launched the Paul Hornung Award in 2010 to honor its namesake and native son, and to promote outstanding performances by versatile college football players who often go unnoticed. Each week during the regular season, a panel of college football experts selects players for the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll based on performance. A national selection committee comprised of 18 sports journalists and former NFL stars votes for the Hornung Award finalists and the winner, with fan voting powered by Texas Roadhouse comprising the 19th vote.
2025 Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll
- Week 1: Jonah Coleman, Washington; Quinton Jackson, Rice; Cam Ross, UVA; Smith Snowden, Utah
- Week 2: Rayshon Luke, Fresno State; Adam Randall, Clemson; Sutton Smith, Memphis