photo by: Matt Tait

Kansas football players Kenny Logan Jr., left, and Kwamie Lassiter II sit inside the team auditorium while waiting for virtual media sessions at Big 12 Media Days to begin on Thursday, July 15, 2021. Lassister and Logan missed out on the opportunity to be in Dallas with the rest of the conference's representatives because of bad weather grounding their flight.

Two of the Kansas football team’s key veteran leaders, junior safety Kenny Logan Jr. and super-senior receiver Kwamie Lassiter II landed on separate preseason watch lists on Thursday.

The Louisville Sports Commission announced Logan is one of the 57 players in the running for this year’s Paul Hornung Award, presented to college football’s most versatile player. Meanwhile, Lassiter’s name appeared on the newly published watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, presented to the FBS player who best combines community service with leadership achievement on and off the field.

The KU defense’s leading tackler in the Jayhawks’ abbreviated nine-game 2020 season, Logan made 58 total tackles and led the team with two interceptions. Logan’s breakthrough sophomore season also included a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, among his 13 returns on the year, as he averaged 26.5 yards an attempt.

Now a 6-foot, 195-pound junior, Logan even played a little bit of offense for the Jayhawks during their spring game earlier this year — though it remains to be seen whether new head coach Lance Leipold and his staff will deploy the veteran from St. Augustine, Fla., on that side of the ball.

The leading receiver for KU’s offense in 2020, Lassiter’s production (43 receptions, 458 receiving yards and two touchdowns) wasn’t what got him on the Wuerffel watch list, along with 92 other candidates nationwide.

After emerging as a team leader in the offseason this year, Lassiter also has remained active with the KU football program in the Lawrence community this summer. Some of those off-the-field activities have included cleaning up trash downtown, playing with children while teaming up with Lawrence Parks and Recreation and Lawrence Public Schools and participating in Meals on Wheels outings.

A 6-foot, 175-pound receiver from Chandler, Ariz., Lassiter received All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2020. A former walk-on, Lassiter is entering his sixth season with the KU football program.

Former KU receiver Stephon Robinson Jr., who transferred to Northwestern this past winter, following an injury-plagued 2020 season with the Jayhawks, also made the Hornung preseason watch list.

2021 Paul Hornung Award preseason watch list

Jacob Adams, Louisiana Tech

Tyler Allgeier, BYU

Tyler Badie, Missouri

Jake Bailey, Rice

Tank Bigsby, Auburn

Phillip Brooks, Kansas State

Jermaine Brown Jr., UAB

Jordan Byrd, San Diego State

Tyleek Collins, University of Las Vegas

Britain Covey, Utah

Aron Cruickshank, Rutgers

Derius Davis, TCU

Nathaniel Dell, Houston

Jahan Dotson, Penn State

Romeo Doubs, Nevada

Demario Douglas, Liberty

Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss

Tresten Ebner, Baylor

Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech

Danny Gray, Southern Methodist

Donavon Greene, Wake Forest

Justin Hall, Ball State

Travell Harris, Washington State

Connor Heyward, MSU

Khaleb Hood, Georgia Southern

Jha’Quan Jackson, Tulane

D’Shawn Jamison, Texas

Cam Johnson, Vandy

Jeshaun Jones, Maryland

Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee

Zonovan Knight, NC State

Jaylan Knighton, Miami

Kenny Logan Jr., Kansas

DJ Matthews, Indiana

Marvin Mims, Oklahoma

Kyle Phillips, UCLA

Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan

Myles Price, Texas Tech

Clint Ratkovich, Northern Illinois

Jayden Reed, Michigan State

Nikko Remigio, Cal

Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State

Stephon Robinson Jr., Northwestern

Tyrell Robinson, Army

Wandale Robinson, Kentucky

Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

Chris Smith, Louisiana Tech

Tyler Snead, East Carolina

Caleb Spurlin, Appalachian State

Derek Stingley Jr., LSU

Keylon Stokes, Tulsa

Deandre Torrey, North Texas

Calvin Turner Jr., Hawaii

Kyren Williams, Notre Dame

Garret Wilson, Ohio State

Mykael Wright, Oregon

Winston Wright Jr., West Virginia