Oklahoma State RB Hubbard named top Canadian NCAA player

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard has won the Cornish Trophy, presented annually to the top Canadian player in NCAA football.

The announcement was made via YouTube on Wednesday.

Hubbard was the AP Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting, the third-best finish for a Canadian player. His season total of 2,094 rushing yards was third in Big 12 Conference history. It was the second-best single-season total in school history, trailing only Barry Sanders’ 1988 Heisman season. He plans to return to school next season.

Hubbard was the runner-up for the Cornish Trophy in 2019 after his redshirt freshman season. Other finalists this year were Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke, who won the first two awards in 2018 and 2019 and was the 15th overall pick in the CFL draft; Notre Dame receiver Chase Claypool, who was selected in the second round of the NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers; Oklahoma defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, who was picked in the third round of the NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys; and Oklahoma State linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga.

Voters for the Cornish Trophy included reporters, CFL staff and other experts.

The original plan was to present the award to Hubbard at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater on April 18. Organizers have promised to bring the trophy to him so he can sign the back of it and maintain the tradition of the winner signing the trophy. The trophy is on display at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in Hamilton, Ontario.