Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion wins Paul Hornung Award for nation’s most versatile player
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Texas A&M junior KC Concepcion contributes to the Aggies’ success in various ways, and that distinct quality was recognized on Wednesday when the Charlotte native was named the Paul Hornung Award winner for the 2025 season.
The honor that’s given annually to the most versatile player in major college football had Concepcion’s name written all over it after a regular season when he helped Texas A&M go 11-1 and reach the College Football Playoff. Concepcion is the first Aggies player to win the Hornung award and the 5th player from the SEC to capture the honor.
Concepcion’s versatility is wrapped in his special individual statistics. He ranks in the top 10 nationally in 6 different categories, which is hard to do for any player, and he ranks in the top 10 in the SEC in receiving and punt returns. Concepcion is 1 of only 9 FBS players who has a touchdown receiving, rushing and returning punts to his credit in 2025, and making him even more valuable to the Aggies is that he can stretch the field, registering 40 catches of 10 yards or more.
On special teams, Concepcion is a dynamo, ranking 3rd nationally with a punt return average of 20 yards to go with his 2 punt returns for touchdowns.
And on offense, he’s dynamic, too, tying for the SEC lead with 9 touchdown catches. Concepcion caught 57 passes in all during the regular season for 886 yards.
Put that production on special teams and offense together and it’s not a surprise that Concepcion ranked 4th in the SEC in all-purpose yards and all-purpose yards per game. His stretch-the-field ability was shown by his 15.5 yards per catch this season, which ranked 8th nationally.
The Paul Hornung Award was started by the Louisville Sports Commission in 2010 as a way to honor Hornung, who was born in Louisville. The award was meant to recognize the best in versatility among college football players that would otherwise go unnoticed.
On Wednesday, 1 of the SEC’s own from Texas A&M was recognized for his versatility, which he’ll be trying to show off later this month in the Playoff.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
