Longhorns Country

Longhorns RB Jaydon Blue Named To Paul Hornung Award Watch List

Texas Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue is up for a coveted award this fall.

Matt Galatzan

Texas Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue (23) makes a catch for a first down during the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff semifinals game against the Washington Huskies at the Caesars Superdome on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Texas Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue (23) makes a catch for a first down during the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff semifinals game against the Washington Huskies at the Caesars Superdome on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Texas Longhorns have one of the best running back duos in the nation heading into the 2024 season.

With CJ Baxter leading the way as the 'thunder' and Jaydon Blue complimenting him as the 'lightning' Texas should be in good hands this fall.

However, Blue is more than just your traditional fast running back. He is also an incredibly versatile part of the offense and can make an impact in any number of ways, as long as he has the ball in his hands.

As a result of that versatility, Blue is now getting some recognition, being named to the Paul Hornung Award preseason watch list on Thursday, which is given annually to the most versatile player in college football.

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Texas Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue (23) makes a catch for a first down during the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff semifinals game against the Washington Huskies at the Caesars Superdome on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Blue rushed just 15 times for 33 yards across three games as a freshman but stepped up into a key RB3 role for the Texas backfield this past season. However, after starting running back Jonathon Brooks went down with a season-ending ACL tear, both Blue and Baxter had to step in as a complementary duo in place of the workhorse-like load Brooks had in the offense.

Blue finished 2023 with 65 carries for 398 yards and three touchdowns along with 14 catches for 135 yards and another score.

This was highlighted by the career-high 121 yards on 10 carries he had in a win over Texas Tech. Blue ended the season with a touchdown in three straight games, including in the College Football Playoff loss to Washington.

Now heading into the new season as part of one of the best one-two punches in the country, he has a chance to have an even bigger impact.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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