Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard named 2019 Cornish Trophy finalist

Oklahoma State redshirt freshman running back Chuba Hubbard was named one of five finalists for the 2019 Cornish Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top Canadian-born football player in the NCAA, on Friday.

Hubbard rushed for 740 yards on 124 carries and seven touchdowns and caught 22 passes for 229 receiving yards and two scores in 13 games this past season.

The Sherwood Park, Alberta product recorded three 100-yard rushing games in his last four outings. He ran for a career-high 145 yards and one touchdown in OSU’s 38-33 win over Missouri in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31 in Memphis, Tennessee. He also had 134 rushing yards on 26 touches against No. 7 West Virginia and 104 rushing yards and three touchdowns against No. 6 Oklahoma.

Hubbard’s role wasn’t just limited to running back as he served as the primary kickoff returner, averaging 22.2 yards on 23 returns.

The four other Cornish Trophy finalists are Notre Dame wide receiver Chase Claypool (Abbotsford), North Dakota running back Brady Oliveira (Winnipeg), Oklahoma defensive tackle Neville Gallimore (Ottawa) and last year’s winner, Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke (Oakville, Ontario).

Voting for the trophy is done a committee comprised of former NCAA players with connections to Canada along with Canadian Football League representatives and Canadian college football media. There are 139 Canadian football players across all levels in the NCAA.

The trophy will be presented to the winner in March at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in Hamilton, Ontario.