Texas A&M star KC Concepcion just picked up the Paul Hornung Award, the national honor that goes to the most versatile player in major college football. For the Miami faithful, it is hard to look at what Malachi Toney did this season and not feel like the Hurricanes' freshman star should've won the award.
Texas A&M WR/KR KC Concepcion named winner of Paul Hornung Award, honoring nation’s most versatile player
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 10, 2025
KC Concepcion is a worthy winner
Concepcion was officially announced as the 2025 winner on Tuesday by the Louisville Sports Commission, which created the Hornung Award in 2010 to recognize players who impact the game in multiple ways. The junior transfer helped lead the Aggies to an 11-1 regular season and a College Football Playoff berth, becoming the first Texas A&M player to win the award and the fifth from the SEC overall.
The case for Concepcion is strong. He led A&M with 57 catches for 886 yards and an SEC-best nine receiving touchdowns, added 63 rushing yards and a score on the ground, and was one of the most dangerous punt returners in the country. Concepcion piled up 460 punt-return yards and two touchdowns, finishing the regular season with 1,409 all-purpose yards and 117.4 yards per game, plus five punt returns of 30 yards or more and a 20.0 yards-per-return average that ranked among the best in FBS. Coaches honored him as a first-team All-SEC pick at wide receiver, all-purpose and returner.
Malachi Toney should have won the Paul Hornung Award
But with that being said, Malachi Toney checked just as many boxes, maybe more.
Toney arrived at Miami as a reclassified recruit from American Heritage, jumping from the 2026 class into 2025 and enrolling as a 17-year-old. By Week 1, he was a starting wide receiver. By Week 12, he was the engine of an offense that helped push Miami to a 10-2 record and the No. 10 seed in the CFP.
The raw production is absurd for any player, let alone a true freshman. Toney finished the regular season with 84 receptions for 970 yards and seven touchdowns, plus 17 carries for 89 yards and a rushing score. Miami also turned him into a gadget piece, letting him throw out of Wildcat. He completed 4 of 6 passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns. On special teams, he handled punt-return duty, posting 13 returns for 187 yards and a 14.4-yard average. All told, he finished with 1,246 all-purpose yards (103.8 per game).
In the regular-season finale at Pittsburgh, Toney turned in one of the most complete games anyone in the country played this year: 13 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown, 30 rushing yards, and a nine-yard touchdown pass in a 38-7 Miami win.
Toney swept ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Hurricane to win the award since Tyler Van Dyke in 2021. He was a first-team All-ACC wide receiver and also landed on the second team as an all-purpose player.
Comparing Malachi Toney and KC Concepcion
Put side by side with Concepcion, the gap is small. Concepcion has the edge in all-purpose yards, 1,409 to 1,246, and did more damage as a pure returner. Toney, though, shouldered a bigger volume role in the passing game.
So yes, Concepcion is a worthy winner. The numbers and the tape back that up. But if you are judging "most versatile" in 2025, it is hard to find anyone who did more different things at a high level than Toney.