Hollywood Smothers Named to Paul Hornung Award Watch List
7/31/2025 12:00:00 PM | Football
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State running back Hollywood Smothers (Charlotte, N.C./W. Charlotte) has been named one of 46 college football players by the Louisville Sports Commission to the 2025 Watch List for the Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse, given annually to the most versatile player in college football.
As a redshirt freshman last season, Smothers boasted the best yards per carry mark on the Wolfpack with 6.4 yards per carry, which was also the sixth-best mark in school history. In 11 games, the Charlotte native ran for 571 yards and six touchdowns.
Smothers was also dynamic in the passing game, accumulating 263 receiving yards on 19 receptions with two touchdowns. Last season, Smothers returned three kickoffs totaling 51 yards with a long of 32 yards in the first game of the season against Western Carolina.
The LSC created the Award in January 2010 with the support Paul Hornung, a native and lifelong resident of Louisville and member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
In 2016, the Paul Hornung Award became an associate member of the prestigious National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football's most prestigious awards, and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935.
In 2017, running back Nyheim Hines was one of four finalists up for the award, with DK Kaufman, Thayer Thomas, and Zonovan Knight all also being Pack players who had previously been recognized.
Smothers joins CJ Bailey, Justin Joly, and Brandon Cleveland as Wolfpack to see their names on preseason watch lists already this summer.
