Florida Gators WR Kadarius Toney, TE Dante Lang Named to Award Watch Lists

Make that seven Florida Gators to be found across major preseason award watch lists.

Florida Gators wide receiver Kadarius Toney has been named to the Paul Hornung Award watch list, handed out annually to college football's most versatile player, and Gators tight end Dante Lang has been named to the Wuerffel Award watch list, an honor "known as college football's premier award for community service", according to a release from the school.

Congratulations to Kadarius Toney for making the Paul Hornung Award Watch List!

@0fficialC2N x @hornungaward #GatorStandard 🐊 pic.twitter.com/2szHukV6hV

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) July 23, 2020

Congratulations to Dante Lang for making the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List!

@dante_lang x @WuerffelTrophy #GatorStandard 🐊 pic.twitter.com/OjGxGsVKEY

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) July 23, 2020

This marks Toney's second consecutive appearance on the Hornung Award watch list. Should there be a 2020 season amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Toney could have better odds at winning the award as he missed half of the 2019 season with a shoulder injury.

In three years with the Gators, Toney has primarily lined up at wide receiver, catching 50 passes for 606 yards and two touchdowns. Also receiving handoffs, jet sweeps, and even lining up at Wildcat quarterback at times, Toney has also added 47 rushing attempts for 419 yards and a touchdown, completed two-of-four passes for 70 yards and a touchdown, and returned eight kicks for an average of 21.1 yards per return.

The Hornung Award will be presented in March 2021.

Lang, who looks to find more action at tight end following Lucas Krull's transfer to Pittsburgh, finds himself on the watch list for an award named after Gators Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel.

"Lang logged a total of 43 community service hours during the 2019-2020 school year, volunteering at several elementary schools in the Gainesville area where he mentored students, encouraged them to make good decisions, talked to them about the importance of staying in school and shed a light on what it means to be a student-athlete. Lang was also named the 2020 Male Goodwill Gator of the Year this past summer by the University Athletic Association, a recognition given to the student-athlete who has had the most positive impact on the community." - University of Florida Athletic Association

Lang joins 113 other candidates for the Wuerffel Award, which will narrow down to its semifinalists and finalists in November before the winner is unveiled in December.

Toney and Lang join five other Florida Gators to be named to major award watch lists this preseason: Quarterback Kyle Trask (Davey O'Brien), tight end Kyle Pitts (Biletnikoff Award and Mackey Award), linebacker Ventrell Miller (Butkus Award), cornerback Kaiir Elam (Thorpe Award), and kicker Evan McPherson (Lou Groza Award). 2021 Gators linebacker commit Chief Borders (Carrollton, Ga.) was named to the high school Butkus Award list, as well.