Illinois running back Chase Brown carries the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against the Iowa Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in Champaign, Ill. Brown has been awarded the Jon Cornish Trophy as the top Canadian in NCAA football. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Charles Rex Arbogast
VANCOUVER – Illinois running back Chase Brown has been awarded the Jon Cornish Trophy as the top Canadian in NCAA football.
Brown was second in the NCAA and first in the Power Five conference with 1,643 rushing yards.
The native of London, Ont., was second in the NCAA in rushes of 10-plus yards (48), 100-yard games (10), and rushing attempts per game (27.3), and was third in all-purpose yards (1,883). He had 328 carries in the regular season.
Ohio Bobcats quarterback Kurtis Rourke of Oakville, Ont., was runner-up in the voting by the Cornish Trophy committee. Chase’s twin brother and Illinois teammate, senior defensive back Sydney Brown, finished third.
Chase Brown was runner-up for the award last year, finishing behind two-time winner John Metchie III.
Brown is the CFL Scouting Bureau’s top -ranked Canadian prospect.
He said he will decide after the Rellaquest Bowl against Mississippi State on Jan. 2 if he will declare for the NFL draft and is weighing his options on playing his senior year.
The Cornish Trophy is named after former Kansas and Calgary Stampeders star running back Jon Cornish.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2022.
