Two of the Kansas football team’s key veteran leaders, junior safety Kenny Logan Jr. and super-senior receiver Kwamie Lassiter II landed on separate preseason watch lists on Thursday.
The Louisville Sports Commission announced Logan is one of the 57 players in the running for this year’s Paul Hornung Award, presented to college football’s most versatile player. Meanwhile, Lassiter’s name appeared on the newly published watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, presented to the FBS player who best combines community service with leadership achievement on and off the field.
The KU defense’s leading tackler in the Jayhawks’ abbreviated nine-game 2020 season, Logan made 58 total tackles and led the team with two interceptions. Logan’s breakthrough sophomore season also included a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, among his 13 returns on the year, as he averaged 26.5 yards an attempt.
Now a 6-foot, 195-pound junior, Logan even played a little bit of offense for the Jayhawks during their spring game earlier this year — though it remains to be seen whether new head coach Lance Leipold and his staff will deploy the veteran from St. Augustine, Fla., on that side of the ball.
The leading receiver for KU’s offense in 2020, Lassiter’s production (43 receptions, 458 receiving yards and two touchdowns) wasn’t what got him on the Wuerffel watch list, along with 92 other candidates nationwide.
After emerging as a team leader in the offseason this year, Lassiter also has remained active with the KU football program in the Lawrence community this summer. Some of those off-the-field activities have included cleaning up trash downtown, playing with children while teaming up with Lawrence Parks and Recreation and Lawrence Public Schools and participating in Meals on Wheels outings.
A 6-foot, 175-pound receiver from Chandler, Ariz., Lassiter received All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2020. A former walk-on, Lassiter is entering his sixth season with the KU football program.
Former KU receiver Stephon Robinson Jr., who transferred to Northwestern this past winter, following an injury-plagued 2020 season with the Jayhawks, also made the Hornung preseason watch list.
2021 Paul Hornung Award preseason watch list
Jacob Adams, Louisiana Tech
Tyler Allgeier, BYU
Tyler Badie, Missouri
Jake Bailey, Rice
Tank Bigsby, Auburn
Phillip Brooks, Kansas State
Jermaine Brown Jr., UAB
Jordan Byrd, San Diego State
Tyleek Collins, University of Las Vegas
Britain Covey, Utah
Aron Cruickshank, Rutgers
Derius Davis, TCU
Nathaniel Dell, Houston
Jahan Dotson, Penn State
Romeo Doubs, Nevada
Demario Douglas, Liberty
Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
Tresten Ebner, Baylor
Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech
Danny Gray, Southern Methodist
Donavon Greene, Wake Forest
Justin Hall, Ball State
Travell Harris, Washington State
Connor Heyward, MSU
Khaleb Hood, Georgia Southern
Jha’Quan Jackson, Tulane
D’Shawn Jamison, Texas
Cam Johnson, Vandy
Jeshaun Jones, Maryland
Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee
Zonovan Knight, NC State
Jaylan Knighton, Miami
Kenny Logan Jr., Kansas
DJ Matthews, Indiana
Marvin Mims, Oklahoma
Kyle Phillips, UCLA
Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan
Myles Price, Texas Tech
Clint Ratkovich, Northern Illinois
Jayden Reed, Michigan State
Nikko Remigio, Cal
Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State
Stephon Robinson Jr., Northwestern
Tyrell Robinson, Army
Wandale Robinson, Kentucky
Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
Chris Smith, Louisiana Tech
Tyler Snead, East Carolina
Caleb Spurlin, Appalachian State
Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
Keylon Stokes, Tulsa
Deandre Torrey, North Texas
Calvin Turner Jr., Hawaii
Kyren Williams, Notre Dame
Garret Wilson, Ohio State
Mykael Wright, Oregon
Winston Wright Jr., West Virginia