LSU junior Odell Beckham Jr. is both a talented wide receiver and a dangerous return man, and those traits helped him win the Paul Hornung Award, given annually to the nation's most versatile player, on Friday morning.
The other finalists were Western Kentucky running back Antonio Andrews, Arizona State running back Marion Grice, UCLA running back/linebacker Myles Jack and Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Beckham (6-foot, 193 pounds) has 57 receptions for 1,117 yards (19.6 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns; he also has 30 kickoff returns for 806 yards (26.9 yards per return) and 10 punt returns for 141 yards (10.1 yards per return). For good measure, he has run the ball five times this season, for 58 yards.
He has had five 100-yard games as a receiver, including a career-high 204 on six catches in a rout of FCS opponent Furman. Beckham also had three games with multiple TD catches and nine games with at least five receptions.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.