Iowa State senior linebacker Joel Lanning was announced today by the Louisville Sports Commission that he’s a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award. 

The Paul Hornung Award is an annual award presented to the nation’s most versatile college football player. The player also has a lot of positions on the field and makes an impact in each position. 

Lanning has shown his versatility all season with transitioning to linebacker at the beginning of this season, while also helping out on the offense as a quarterback and on special teams. 

He leads the Cyclones this season with total tackles, 94, with 58 assisted tackles and 36 solo tackles. He also has two and a half sacks with one interception. Nationally, Lanning ranks ninth in tackles per game with 10.4. 

On the offense, he’s carried the ball for 78 yards on 23 attempts. He’s also thrown two passes for 25 yards, but he’s made some crucial fourth down plays for Iowa State’s offense.  

Even coach Matt Campbell is impressed with Lanning’s versatility.

“The kid has played over 700 snaps of football. That’s unheard of,” Campbell said at his press conference last Monday.

Lanning is one of four finalists along with Saquon Barkley from Penn State, Dante Pettis from Washington and Nyheim Hines from North Carolina State. The winner of the Paul Hornung Award will be announced on Dec. 6.