Monday, July 9, 2012

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Four Pioneer Football League punt returners were among the 50 athletes named to the College Football Performance Awards preseason watch list at the position, Monday.

Davidson's Toms Bernhards-Callahan, Dayton's Tyler Hujik, Jacksonville's D'Andre Randle and San Diego's Sam Hoekstra were each named to the preseason watch list at punt returner. 

Bernhards-Callahan enters his senior campaign after ranking second among the league's punt returners with an 11.6 yard per return average. He also was one of seven players to return a punt for a touchdown last season, scoring on a 94-yard return last season against Marist.

Hoekstra was third on the league's punt return list last season as a sophomore at San Diego, averaging 11.2 yards per return on 28 attempts. He led the league's punt returners with 315 yards in punt returns.  He also returned a punt for a touchdown – an 85-yard return that provided the winning score in the Toreros win against Drake last season.

Dayton's Hujik returns after averaging 6.6 yards per return and making 15 punt returns last season. Hujik's punt return touchdown also proved pivotal, his 32-yard scoring dash providing the Flyers the go-ahead touchdown early in the victory at Morehead State last season. 

Randle's 10 punt returns did not qualify him among the league's leaders last season but he provided maximum impact, averaged 15.9 yards per return. His 94-yard punt return for a touchdown tied Bernhards-Callahan for the longest punt return for a score last season.

The goal of College Football Performance Awards is to provide the most scientifically rigorous conferments in college football. Recipients are selected exclusively based upon objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams.