The Jon Cornish Trophy is an award given annually to the top Canadian player in NCAA football. The award is named after Canadian Football Hall of Famer (CFHOF) Jon Cornish and has been presented since 2017, with the trophy debuting two years later on display at the CFHOF.
It is awarded by a panel consisting of Canadian journalists, player personnel evaluators from the Canadian Football League, former NCAA players with a connection to Canada, and panelists from Gridiron Nation. Nathan Rourke and John Metchie III are the only two to have ever won it more than once.
The patrons of the trophy are the Northern 8 group led by businessman L. David Dube and Football Canada president Jim Mullin. It is awarded by a panel consisting of Canadian journalists, Canadian Football League player personnel evaluators, former NCAA players with a connection to Canada, and panelists from Gridiron Nation.[8]
The primary trophy, featuring an image of Cornish superimposed on a background that incorporates a maple leaf and a five-pointed star, is kept on permanent display at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. The recipient is presented with a separate personalized trophy featuring an image from the player's trophy-winning season. This trophy originally featured the logo of Football Canada, the country's governing body for amateur Canadian football, but that logo has been replaced by a dedicated Cornish Trophy logo.[9]