For the second consecutive season, Penn State running back Keyvone Lee has been named to the watch list for the Doak Walker Award. The award for the nation’s top running back in college football had its watch list revealed on Wednesday, with Lee being the lone Nittany Lion on the initial watch list.
Players can be added to the watch list at any time, so it remains to be seen if any other Penn State player will receive watch list buzz once the season begins, including freshman [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag].
Lee was one of three Penn State running backs to appear on the watch list prior to the start of the 2021 season with [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] and Jonathan Lovett joining him. Cain, who transferred to LSU this offseason, did not appear on the watch list (nor did any LSU player for that matter).
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The only Penn State football player to win the Doak Walker Award was Larry Johnson, in 2022.
Other notable past winners of the Doak Walker Award includes Eddie Georgie (Ohio State), Ricky Williams (Texas, a two-time winner), LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU), Reggie Bush (USC), Rashaan Salaam (Colorado, betaing [autotag]Ki-Jana Carter[/autotag]), and Bryce Love (Stanford, who beat out [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag]).
Last year’s winner of the Doak Walker Award was Kenneth Walker III of Michigan State. A Big Ten plater has won the Doak Walker Award three of the past four seasons with Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin winning back-to-back awards in 2018 and 2019. Wisconsin has the most Doak Walker Awards in the history of the award with five, including two win by Taylor.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford has also been named to the watch list for the Maxwell Award and the Davey O’Brien Award.