Edwards-Helaire, Von Rosenberg, Ferguson latest LSU players added to prestigious preseason awards watch lists

LSU’S EDWARDS-HELAIRE NAMED TO HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST

BATON ROUGE – LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been named as a preseason candidate for the Paul Hornung Award, the Louisville Sports Commission announced on Thursday.

The Paul Hornung Award, now in its 10th season, is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football by the Louisville Sports Commission and football legend and Louisville native Paul Hornung.

Edwards-Helaire, a junior from Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, finished second on the team in rushing last year with 658 yards and seven TDs. He also ranked fifth in the SEC in kickoff return yards (416) and kickoff return average (24.5). He also led the Tigers and finished No. 11 in the league in all-purpose yards with 1,170, an average of 90.0 yards per game.

Edwards-Helaire had his best game as a Tigers in the win over No. 2 Georgia last year, rushing for 145 yards in the victory over the Bulldogs. Edwards-Helaire also rushed for 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns in LSU’s win over Louisiana Tech last season.

Edwards-Helaire is also a preseason candidate for the Maxwell Award.

LSU’S VON ROSENBERG NAMED TO RAY GUY AWARD PRESEASON LIST

BATON ROUGE – LSU punter Zach Von Rosenberg is one of 26 players from across the country named as a preseason candidate for the Ray Guy Award, the Augusta Sports Council announced.

Von Rosenberg, a second team All-SEC selection a year ago and a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, enters his third season as LSU’s starting punter in 2019.

The Ray Guy Award honors the top punter in college football each year.

Von Rosenberg, a former minor league baseball player in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, goes into his junior season with the Tigers with the second-highest career punting average in school history at 44.6 yards on 87 punts.

Last year, Von Rosenberg ranked No. 2 in the SEC in punting with a 45.7 average. His 45.7 yard average in 2018 ranked No. 3 in LSU history for a single season.

LSU’S BLAKE FERGUSON NAMED TO WUERFFEL TROPHY WATCH LIST

BATON ROUGE – LSU long snapper Blake Ferguson is one of 93 players nationwide that has been named as a preseason candidate for the Wuerffel Trophy, the Chick-fil-A Foundation announced on Thursday.

The Wuerffel Trophy, known as “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service,” is presented each February in Fort Walton Beach. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the Football Bowl Subdivision player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.

LSU center Rudy Niswanger was the first winner of the Wuerffel Trophy, capturing the honor as a senior in 2005.

Ferguson is one of only 10 players on this year’s list that was also named as a candidate for the Wuerffel Trophy last year.

Ferguson, who enters his fourth season as LSU’s starting long snapper, is a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and currently just one semester away from earning his master’s degree in business administration. Ferguson received his undergraduate degree from LSU in marketing in May of 2018.

Among his other contributions include serving as the chair of the SEC Football Leadership Council, being named a permanent team captain for the 2018 LSU football team and being selected to represent the Tigers on the 2018 SEC Community Service Team.

Ferguson has twice been a nominee for the American Football Coaches Good Works Team, which is an honor given to those players for the impact they make off the field.

On the field, Ferguson has appeared in 38 games for the Tigers, earning first team All-America honors from Phil Steele Magazine following the 2018 season.

Away from football, Ferguson is active in many community service endeavors including being an advocate for the American Diabetes Association and their research initiatives. In the spring of 2018, Ferguson was invited to Washington D.C. for the “Call to Congress” which was an effort by the ADA to help raise awareness and raise money for diabetes research.

He’s also spent time away from football taking part in events such as the Tim Tebow Foundation Night to Shine, which is a prom for special needs members of the Baton Rouge community as well as participating in Athletes for Hope, which facilitates community service in the Baton Rouge area.

LSU opens training camp for the 2019 season on August 1 when the players report to campus with the first practice slated for the following day. The Tigers open their season on Saturday, August 31 against Georgia Southern in Tiger Stadium.