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Comeback-Player.com
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) in association with The Associated Press (AP) and the Fiesta Bowl Organization, today named Jarek Broussard, a sophomore running back for the University of Colorado; Kenneth Horsey, sophomore offensive lineman for the University of Kentucky; and Silas Kelly, senior linebacker for Coastal Carolina University as the 2020 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award Winners. The three football student-athletes overcame injury and illness to excel on the field this season.
Selected by a vote of Associated Press football writers, the three winners will be officially recognized later today during the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl (which begins at 4 pm Eastern on ABC).
“Our goal is to help fans better appreciate the roads these student-athletes have traveled. says Doug Vance, executive director of CoSIDA. “We hope these stories of achievement can inspire other people to meet the challenges in their own lives.
Jarek Broussard (Colorado sophomore RB)
After redshirting in 2018, Broussard, a 5’-9” 185-lb sophomore from Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas, suffered a season-ending ACL injury before the start of the 2019 season on the same knee he had ACL surgery on in high school which forced him to miss the entire season. So, after missing his true and redshirt freshman seasons, he started fall camp this year tied for second on the Buffalo’s depth chart. He quickly claimed the starting job, becoming just the fourth player in Division I-A/FBS since 1996 to open a career with four 100-yard games including 187 yards and three touchdowns versus UCLA and 301 yards vs Arizona. For the season, the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year lead the conference with 162.6 yards rushing per game (129 carries – 813 yards - 6.3 avg), added seven receptions for 52 yards to lead conference in all-purpose yards, He completed his remarkable season rushing for 82 yards and two touchdowns versus Texas in the Alamo Bowl.
“Winning the Comeback Player of the Year Award is a great honor, Broussard said. “I’d like to thank Mayo Clinic, CoSIDA, the AP and Fiesta Bowl for making this award possible and honoring me with it.”
“First and foremost, this is a team award,” he continued. “I really need to recognize and thank the support I received from my coaches and teammates, especially my offensive line, and all the people in sports medicine who were with me throughout. They all believed in me. Even making a finalist for this prestigious award showed that all the hard work coming back from two knee surgeries was worth it, and winning it is truly special.”
“I remember back in March, we weren’t sure if he’d be ready by the fall; he wasn’t ready to participate in spring practices had we been able to have them, “said Colorado Head Coach Karl Dorrell. “So, he was one of those guys that was just on the peripheral of our thoughts, and it was, 'We'll see if he's ready for camp, where he would be in our depth chart, things like that.'
“So, for that scenario to happen back in March and how we ended camp, he was our best player at that position. He's come a long way, from where we weren't sure if he was going to be healthy enough to play to becoming the conference’s player of the year, a first-team All-Pac-12 performer and now one of the three comeback players of the year. A truly great story of perseverance.”
Kenneth Horsey (Kentucky sophomore OL)
The 6’-3” 300-lb sophomore offensive lineman from Sanford High School in Sanford, Fla. was rushed to the hospital in the spring of 2018 during his final semester of high school where doctors found a growth on one of his heart valves. He went through open-heart surgery in April and was told by doctors that his football career was over. He kept his commitment to the Wildcats, redshirting the 2018 season and playing sparingly in 2019 while continuing to recuperate. This season, 50-lbs lighter and in the best shape of his life, he earned the starting left guard spot Kentucky’s “Big Blue Wall” starting eight games including today’s Gator Bowl versus North Carolina State.
“I want to thank God because none of this would be possible without Him,” said Horsey upon learning of being selected the 2020 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year. “I also want to thank my family and UK football for supporting me and believing in me. I understand that every snap is a blessing and being in this situation has made me a better person, a better Christian, and a better man. I hope I can take the lessons I’ve learned through this process and use them in the future to help others.”
“We were all so concerned when we first learned what Kenneth was going through, said UK Head Coach Mark Stoops. “There was probably some hesitation about returning to play football but to see him come back has really been inspiring. We have seen him get more and more confident and he’s really grown on and off the field. We are so proud and happy for Kenneth.”
Silas Kelly (Coastal Carolina senior LB)
The 6’-4” 230-lb senior linebacker from South Carroll Senior High School in Mount Airy, Maryland broke his hand in the first game of the 2019 season and then tore his ACL in the season’s second game against Kansas during the Chanticleers first-ever win over a Power 5 school. Following knee surgery, he worked hard to return to spring practice but was forced to have a second operation on his knee in early spring. He was back in the middle for Coastal Carolina to open the 2020 season against Kansas. The following week versus Campbell he recorded 8 tackles, and two sacks to earn Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week accolades. For the season he led Coastal Carolina with 80 tackles and added 6.5 TFL, 5 sacks and an interception.
“I am honored to be mentioned for this award. This comes with so much hard work. I’ve put in countless hours of work to be the teammate, player, and person that my teammates needed me to be in order to help my team in the best way that I could. I set my mind to recovering from my injury and contributing in a meaningful way,” said Kelly. “I’d like thank my family, friends, trainers, teammates, and coaches for the support they provided me during my recovery process. Everything I’ve gone through has made me the person I am today, and I couldn’t be more thankful for all of the experiences I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. You can do anything you set your mind to.”
“Silas displayed character and resilience not only to come back but to do it performing at an all-conference level. His perseverance has been a great example of overcoming adversity and excelling in whatever you put your mind to,” said Coastal Carolina Head Coach Jamey Chadwell.”
Since 2018, a panel of writers, editors and sports information directors from CoSIDA, AP and
Touchdown Illustrated have recognized college football student-athletes each season from all divisions of college football for overcoming injury or illness, by sharing their remarkable comeback stories. Previous winners of the
Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award have been: 2018
- Antwan Dixon (Kent State University),
Seth Simmer (Dartmouth College);
Antonio Wimbush (Carson-Newman University); 2019 –
Jake Luton (Oregon State University);
Drew Wilson (Georgia Southern University) and
Octavion Wilson (Salisbury University). For a complete list of past honorees, visit
www.Comeback-Player.com.
About Mayo Clinic: Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing.
Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news and
Mayo Clinic Facts for more information about Mayo.
About CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America): CoSIDA was founded in 1957 and is a 3,000+ member national organization comprised of the sports public relations, media relations and communications/information professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. The organization is the second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics. To learn more, visit
cosida.com.
About Associated Press: The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP. On the web:
www.ap.org.
About the Fiesta Bowl Organization: Since 1971, the Fiesta Bowl is a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans during and outside of college football bowl season. As a nonprofit organization, it is driven by its vision for the importance of community outreach and service. Through the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl, Guaranteed Rate Bowl and its year-round events, such as the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade, corporate partnerships and numerous community events throughout the year, the organization provides charitable giving to enhance Arizona nonprofit organizations that serve communities through youth, sports and education. On the web:
FiestaBowl.org.
Media Contacts:
Doug Drotman,
doug@drotman-pr.com or (631) 462-1198
Doug Vance, CoSIDA
dougvance@cosida.com or (785) 691-7708