Oregon cornerback Mykael Wright has been named to the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, an annual award given to the most versatile player in college football. 57 players were named to the watch list, including five Pac-12 players.
The list of preseason honors continues to grow for the Ducks corner and kick returner, who also landed on the Jim Thorpe Award watch list and was named a preseason All-Pac-12 First Team selection at cornerback and an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection as a return specialist.
Wright flashed his versatility on special teams and defense in his freshman year when he became the third player in program history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a season, including a 100-yarder to close out the first half against USC in the 2019 Pac-12 Championship Game and a 98-yarder against Oregon State. He also picked off a pass and recorded five pass breakups that same season.
He became a fixture at cornerback in 2020, starting all seven games for the Ducks and leading the Pac-12 with nine pass breakups. He also led the team with 270 kickoff return yards, averaging 20.8 yards per return.
The Antelope Valley, Calif., native is expected to be one of the top defensive backs in the conference, especially with Deommodore Lenoir going to the NFL, and has a great chance to be a finalist for the Hornung Award when all is said and done.
Wright would be just the second Duck to ever be named a finalist for the award after LaMichael James in 2011.
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