AUBURN, Ala. – An All-America kick returner and thousand-yard rusher, versatile Auburn junior Brian Battie has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2023 Paul Hornung Award, the Louisville Sports Commission announced Thursday.
A transfer from the University of South Florida, Battie played 31 games at USF, gaining 1,427 yards in kick returns while rushing for 1,842 career yards.
Battie earned All-America honors as a kick returner in 2021 and rushed for 1,186 yards in 2022.
Presented by Texas Roadhouse, the Paul Hornung Award is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football.
Battie makes his orange and blue debut in the season opener on Sept. 2 when the Tigers host Massachusetts for Kickoff on The Plains at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer