We head to another day of college football pre-season watch lists. Today it is for the best running back in the country. Fifteen ACC running backs make the Doak Walker Award list as part of a massive overall list of candidates.
The ACC Candidates
Virginia and Florida State are the only ACC members that are not represented on the pre-season watch list. The ACC candidates are:
Kye Robichaux, Boston College
Jaydn Ott, Cal
Phil Mafah, Clemson
Jaquez Moore, Duke
Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech
Donald Chaney, Louisville
Damien Martinez, Miami
Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
Jordan Waters, NC State
Rodney Hammond Jr., Pitt
Jaylan Knighton, SMU
Ryan Butler, Stanford
LeQuint Allen, Syracuse
Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech
Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest
The Others
The total list has 88 running backs on it, including last year’s winner, Ollie Gordon, II from Oklahoma State. The 2024 watch list also features 2023 Award finalist Omarion Hampton and 2023 semifinalists Tajh Brooks, Marcus Carroll, R.J. Harvey, and Damien Martinez. The entire list can be seen here. North Carolina’s Hampton and Cal’s Ott have also appeared on other pre-season watch lists over the last nine days as candidates for national player of the year awards.
The Logistics
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors, which manages the award, will name 10 semifinalists in mid-November. Three finalists will be chosen by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, and they will also be announced in November. The committee will then cast a second vote in December to determine the recipient. The winner will be announced at the Home Depot Awards Show in mid-December.
The National Selection Committee consists of past recipients, former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members, and selected special representatives.
There is also weekly recognition throughout the season. The PwC SMU Athletic Forum announces a Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week.
There are three more pre-season watch lists to be unveiled this week. The Bednarik Award, (Defensive Player of the Year as chosen by the Maxwell Football Club), will be issued next Monday. The Butkus Award, which goes to the best linebacker in the country, is scheduled to have its pre-season watch list released next Tuesday.
