UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), in association with The Associated Press (AP) and the Fiesta Bowl Organization has selected Penn State junior running back Noah Cain as a nominees for the 2021 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Ten times during the 2021 college football season, three inspiring student-athletes from all levels of college football who have overcome injury, illness, or other challenges, are recognized as Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Nominees by a panel of writers, editors, and sports information directors from CoSIDA, AP and Touchdown Illustrated. In December, three of the 30 nominees will be chosen as winners of the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award and will be recognized at a special ceremony during the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2022, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. CoSIDA members can nominate football student-athletes until Nov. 1, 2021 at Comeback-Player.com.
Noah Cain Notes
• Cain returned in 2021 after missing all but the first drive at Indiana in 2020.
• Cain had a rushing touchdown in each of the first three games of a season for the second time in his career (2019, 2021).
• Cain scored on a 3-yard run against Auburn.
• Cain rushed for 69 yards and a 5-yard touchdown against Ball State. He also set a career high with 30 receiving yards on three catches.
• Cain found the end zone on a 2-yard run at Iowa.
• Cain averaged 6.0 yards per carry against Wisconsin. The sophomore had a career-long 34-yard carry in the fourth quarter against the Badgers.
• Cain reached the 500-yard mark for his career with a 48-yard day against Wisconsin.
Other nominees so far this season are: Terrel Bernard (LB, Baylor); Yohance Burnett (LB, Tulsa); Sean Chambers (QB, Wyoming); Jack Coan (QB, Notre Dame); Tobias Harris (DB, West Texas A&M); Aidan Hutchinson (DE, Michigan); Brian Kearns, Jr (RB, Stonehill College); Alex Keith (DL, Washington & Jefferson College); McKenzie Milton (QB, Florida State); John Mitchell (TE, Florida Atlantic); Jeremiah Moon (LB, Florida); Reggie Roberson, Jr (WR, SMU); Justyn Ross (WR, Clemson); Avery Samuels (OL, Stetson); Corey Sutton (WR, Appalachian State); Skylar Thompson (QB, Kansas State); and J.J. Weaver (LB, Kentucky).
Past winners of the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award have included: 2018 – Antwan Dixon (Kent State), Seth Simmer (Dartmouth), Antonio Wimbush (Carson-Newman); 2019 – Jake Luton (Oregon State), Drew Wilson (Georgia Southern), Octavion Wilson (Salisbury University); 2020 – Jarek Broussard (Colorado), Kenneth Horsey (Kentucky) and Silas Kelly (Coastal Carolina). For a complete list of past honorees and additional details on their remarkable comeback stories, visit www.Comeback-Player.com; follow via Twitter at @ComebackPlayrFB via the hashtag #MayoClinicCPOY; and on Instagram at @Comeback_Player_CFB. Mayo Clinic does not have any role in selecting the nominees or winners of the award.
About Mayo Clinic: Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news. For information on COVID-19, including Mayo Clinic's Coronavirus Map tracking tool, which has 14-day forecasting on COVID-19 trends, visit the Mayo Clinic COVID-19 Resource Center.
About CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America): CoSIDA was founded in 1957 and is a 3,000+ member national organization comprised of the sports public relations, media relations and communications/information professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. The organization is the second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics. To learn more, visit cosida.com.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and ticket information for the 2021 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
The 2021 Penn State football season is presented by PSECU.
