Rutgers running back Antwan Raymond was awarded the 2025 John Cornish Trophy on Wednesday.
This award is given annually to the top Canadian player in NCAA football.
Raymond, from Montreal, becomes the first player from Quebec to receive this honor. Raymond rushed for 1,241 yards (5.1 average) and 13 touchdowns this season at Rutgers. He also added 18 catches for 225 yards and two touchdowns.
Raymond was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the NCAA's top running back, and rushed for 240 yards on 41 carries against Maryland earlier this season.
He becomes the third runner to win the award (Chubbard in 2019 and Chase Brown in 2022).
Hubbard (Carolina Panthers) and Brown (Cincinnati Bengals) are now playing in the NFL.
“I am honored to be included among running backs like (Chase) Brown and Chuba (Hubbard) in receiving this award,” Raymond said in a statement.
Ottawa's Achim Mesidore, a defensive lineman for Miami, finished second for the award. The finalists included Vancouver's Ty Benefield (defensive back, Boise State), Edmonton's Nuer Gatkuoth (defensive lineman, Wake Forest) and Rutgers defensive end Jett Elad of Mississauga, Ont.
Raymond leads a solid Canadian roster at Rutgers that includes Elad, linebacker Dariel Jabome and defensive linemen Jbril Abudo-Rahman and Farrell Nyagno.
“It means a lot considering the other Canadians on this team,” he said. “We all support each other when we feel like we're far from home.”
Cornish, from New Westminster, British Columbia, had a distinguished career as a running back at Kansas before helping the Calgary Stampeders win two Gray Cup titles. In 2019, he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
“In a year of dominant Canadian defense, Antwan Raymond stood out from the pack,” said Cornish Trophy trustee and chairman Jim Mullin. “With his performance, he convinced the selection committee that he was worthy of a unanimous selection as the top Canadian in NCAA soccer.”
