Liberty punt returner and wide receiver Demario Douglas has been named to the Paul Hornung Award watch list. The Paul Hornung Award is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football. The winner and his family will be honored at the annual Paul Hornung Award dinner at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville in March 2022. Douglas is one of 57 players named to the 2021 Paul Hornung Award watch list.
Douglas was named a FWAA Freshman All-American as a punt returner following the 2020 season. The redshirt-freshman finished the year ranked No. 9 in the country in punt return average with 11.1 yards per return. He finished the year with 15 punt returns for 166 yards including a 73-yard return for a touchdown against Louisiana-Monroe on Oct. 10. He was also a key member of Liberty’s receiving corps, as he had 32 catches for 363 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Douglas helped lead Liberty to a 10-1 record in the shortened 2020 season, ending the year with a dramatic bowl victory over Coastal Carolina. He also helped lead Liberty to a pair of wins over ACC foes in Syracuse and in-state opponent Virginia Tech. The two wins made Liberty the first non-Power 5 team to post a pair of wins over ACC schools in the same season since Houston in 2015. Liberty finished the 2020 campaign ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press poll and No. 18 in the Amway Coaches Poll, the highest ever ranking for the Flames as an FBS program.
Liberty is scheduled to begin the 2021 season on Saturday, Sept. 4 at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia. The Flames have won 11 straight games inside the friendly confines of Williams Stadium on the Mountain.
