UNC Football: Kobe Paysour named to 2024 Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List

Kobe Paysour is ready to put his injury woes behind him. After suffering a season-ending foot injury in practice before the Miami game, Paysour broke his other foot in post-season practice, attempting to play in Duke's Mayo Bowl against West Virginia. It was a cruel ending to a cruel sophomore season.

It may not have seemed like Drake Maye missed him too much, but Paysour was a sneaky targets monster in his redshirt freshman season for the UNC football program. He ably replaced Josh Downs after he went down with a knee injury against Florida A&M, and was the leading receiver on the team before Downs returned.

In his sophomore season, Paysour made up for the lack of Tez Walker at the beginning of the year, almost doubling his receptions per game average from 2022 (2.4 to 4.4), doubling his yards per game (27 ypg to 56.4 ypg) , and hauled in three touchdowns in just five games. Paysour was on his way!

Then the feet.

Paysour may have gone under the radar while he rehabbed, but the streets didn't forget him. Nor did the College Sports Communicators, Associated Press, and the Fiesta Bowl Organization. Together, these organizations put the North Carolina wide receiver on their 89-man Watch List for Comeback Player of the Year.

At the end of the season, three players from the 89-man Watch List will be selected and honored at Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (always Tostitos in my mind). Last year's winners included Michigan's Blake Corum, Virginia's Mike Hollins, and Jacob Dobbs from Holy Cross.

Paysour's steady hands and ability to get open in coverage gaps will be an immediate boon to whoever starts under center for Mack Brown. Without a premier quarterback for the first time in five years, it will be up to Kobe Paysour and the rest of an impressive stable of receivers, tight ends, and Doomsday machine Omarion Hampton to carry Carolina's offense.

If he does a good enough job, we might see Paysour in Tempe for his efforts.