Tag: Doak Walker

UNC star Omarion Hampton one of just 10 Semifinalists for prestigious Running Back Award

The Seminfinalist List for one of college’s football top awards includes a player UNC football fans are extremely familiar with.

Every time you turn on a UNC football game, chances are you see Omarion Hampton with the opposing defense behind him.

Hampton, the Tar Heels’ star junior running back, continues to prove himself as a household name in college football. Just last Saturday in North Carolina’s bowl-clinching win over Wake Forest, Hampton scored his 14th touchdown of 2024, plus set career highs of 35 carries and 244 yards.

Hampton now owns the UNC record with eight-consecutive 100-yard games, plus he is now tied with Marquise Williams for third-all time in UNC rushing touchdowns. Hampton now has 3,327 rushing yards for his Tar Heel career, putting him Top-5 in program history.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Hampton was selected as one of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award. This prestigious award is given annually to college football’s top running back.

Hampton is joined on the list by Heisman Trophy frontrunner Ashton Jeanty, SMU’s Brashard Smith, Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson, Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, Tulane’s Makhi Hughes, UCF’s RJ Harvey, Kansas State’s DJ Giddens and Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks.

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With North Carolina shifting to a run-first offense this season, Hampton is thriving as his team’s primary offensive creator. Hampton leads the ACC in rushing yardage and has 100 yards in almost ever UNC game, with the lone exception being a 38-20 victory over Charlotte, when he missed the second half due to a minor injury.

I’d be shocked if Hampton doesn’t depart for the NFL after the type of season he’s enjoying. Sure, Hampton has another year of eligibility, but his draft stock is so high and he’s already proven himself as a Tar Heel.

North Carolina still has three more games to play in its current season, so there’s plenty more time to watch Hampton continue destroying defenses.

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Woody Marks prepares for SEC reunion against LSU

Woody Marks is used to playing SEC teams. Guess what? He’ll play another one Sunday with USC.

Woody Marks played for Mississippi State. Now he plays for USC. In a fascinating twist of fate, Marks’ first game for USC won’t come against a Big Ten team or against a team USC used to face in the Pac-12. Marks’ USC debut will come against another SEC team, the LSU Tigers on Sept. 1. Funny how life works.

The PWC SMU Athletic Forum released its preseason candidates for the 2024 Doak Walker Award. The Forum annually presents the award to the nation’s most outstanding college running back. Jo’Quavious “Woody”  Marks has been added to the Doak Walker Award List, and USC is hoping he will make a big impact starting with this game against an SEC opponent.

In his four-year career at Mississippi State prior to transferring to USC, he had 410 carries for 1,883 yards (4.6 avg.) with a long of 52 yards and 22 TDs. He also tallied 214 receptions for 1,225 yards (4.8 avg.) with a long of 32 and 5 TDs. On special teams, he had 11 kickoff returns for 231 yards. It’s go time for Woody Marks against the one SEC team USC will face in the next three months. If USC does really well, it might face a second SEC team in the College Football Playoff.

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Omarion Hampton named Doak Walker Award finalist

Omarion Hampton became the first UNC player to be named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, awarded to the nation’s top running back.

It was a tough season for the UNC football program, starting 6-0 before finishing 2-4 in the final stretch. Despite the dark cloud over the program, there has been a light throughout the year, with Sophomore running back [autotag]Omarion Hampton[/autotag] having a breakout season.

Hampton has been in many conversations this season as one of the best running backs in the nation, adding his name to the watch list. His work hasn’t gone unnoticed, being named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award.

The Doak Walker Award is awarded to the nation’s top running back, an honor dating back to 1990. The three finalists for this honor include Hampton, Oklahoma’s Ollie Gordon II, and Missouri’s Cody Schrader.

Hampton this season has 1,442 rushing yards on 234 carries and 15 touchdowns. His monstrous runs have been highlighted all season, averaging 6.2 yards per attempt. Hampton became the first Tar Heel in history to be named a finalist for this award.

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Badger Countdown: Colts RB finishes Wisconsin career with 50 TDs

The return of college football is on the horizon and the Badgers are now 50 days away from their season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 2.

The return of college football is on the horizon and the Badgers are now 50 days away from their season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 2. A former Badger running back and current Indianapolis Colt Jonathan Taylor finished his career at Wisconsin with 50 total rushing touchdowns.

Taylor spent three seasons with the Badgers from 2017-2019, becoming an instant star in his freshman campaign. In his first year, he ran for 1,977 yards and 13 scores while finishing sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

In year two, he produced a career-high 2,194 yards while rushing for 16 touchdowns once again earning enough votes to be in the top 10 of the Heisman award (9th).

His junior season was another super successful campaign with Taylor compiling 2,003 yards and a career-best 21 rushing scores. Finishing fifth in the Heisman voting, Taylor remained one of the best players in the country.

In both 2018 and 2019, Taylor won the Doak Walker award for the best running back in the nation, becoming the first two-time winner since Darren McFadden in 2006 and 2007.

Taylor went on to be selected in the second round (41st overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts and he’s quickly become one of the best ball-carriers in the league.

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Upcoming ‘The Perfect 10’ documentary features 3 Raiders greats to go from Heisman to Hall

Only 10 people have ever won a Heisman and gone onto the Hall of Fame. And 3 of them are Raiders greats. Set your DVRs Raider Nation.

“This is an amazing feat, man. Only ten guys have been able to accomplish this. More men have walked the moon than to have been able to accomplish what we’ve accomplished,” said Tim Brown in front of six other NFL legends to open the upcoming FOX documentary ‘The Perfect 10’.

Those seven legends all have something special in common. They’re being called ‘The Perfect 10’ because they make up the ten men in the world have hoisted both the Heisman Trophy and have a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

‘The Perfect 10’ will premiere on FOX this Saturday, February 11 at 5 pm Pacific (8pm ET). And if you’re a Raiders fan, you will want to set your DVR.

No team is more well represented in this exclusive club than the Raiders.

Of the seven NFL legends in that room, three are Raiders greats.

The first to join the club was Marcus Allen. Then it was Tim Brown in 2015. And Charles Woodson completed the ten in 2021.

“To have this individual type of accomplishment and to have it be so few who have done it is really mind boggling, you know,” Woodson told Raiders Wire. “I was thinking earlier about the amount of kids who played little league football, high school football, college football, the few that make it to the NFL, and then to just carve that down to just ten guys that have done something like that with the history of the game, that is really quite amazing and hard to put it into words.”

Woodson said as a kid he had imagined himself winning the Heisman Trophy and winning championships (something he also did) but the Hall of Fame was not something he grew up imagining. And even the Heisman seemed out of reach once he switched to defense at Michigan.

“When I got to college and chose to play defense, that dream was pretty much…that was a wrap. Because defensive players don’t win that award,” Woodson said of his Heisman hopes. “So, for me to get to my junior year and to have the success we had as a team, to make the plays at the right time that I made as an individual player, when those things start to happen, that’s when it’s like ‘oh man’ and that dream that was kind of a fleeting thought in my mind was back. . . Then to be invited to the ceremony and ultimately have my name called, holy cow, that was an incredible moment.”

The four other NFL legends on hand for ‘The Perfect 10’ include Earl Campbell, Tony Dorsett, Barry Sanders, and Roger Staubach. The three not present are OJ Simpson, and Doak Walker (deceased), and Paul Hornung (deceased).

ESPN NFL mock draft tabs Bijan Robinson as a top five pick

ESPN’s Todd McShay believes Bijan could hear his name called early in the first round. 

Bijan Robinson’s Texas career is likely over following a fantastic junior season. The Longhorn star proved himself as the best running back in the nation, taking home the Doak Walker Award, All-American honors and more.

Robinson is expected to shift his attention toward the upcoming NFL Draft. ESPN’s Todd McShay believes Bijan could hear his name called early in the first round.

McShay’s latest mock draft has Robinson going to the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 5 overall pick in the draft.

I know the “it’s too early for a running back” arguments are coming, and I agree 99% of the time. But why spend heavily on re-signing Sanders or bringing in another back in free agency when Robinson — who is an upgrade — is available here on a rookie deal? Robinson cruised to 1,580 yards and 18 TDs on the ground this season while breaking 91 tackles.

Robinson looks to be the first running back selected in the top five since the New York Giants picked Saquon Barkley in 2018.

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A statistical comparison of each Doak Walker Award finalist

A deeper dive into the Doak Walker Award finalists.

The college football regular season has officially come to an end. As we approach conference championship week, honors for the most prestigious awards in the sport are being released.

The finalist for the 2022 Doak Walker Award was announced earlier this week. The Doak Walker is given annually to the best running back in college football. Bijan Robinson (Texas), Blake Corum (Michigan) and Chase Brown (Illinois) are the three players in contention for the award.

All of the finalists enjoyed fantastic seasons for their respective programs. In a great year of running back play across the nation, Robinson, Corum and Brown separated themselves from the pack.

The winner of the 2022 Doak Walker Award is set to be announced at the Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 8.

Here is a statistical comparison of each of the three finalists hoping for the award. Bijan Robinson is the clear favorite based on the numbers alone.

CLEMSON’S SHIPLEY IS DOAK WALKER NATIONAL RUNNING BACK OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (SMU) – Clemson running back Will Shipley rushed for a career-high of 172 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers remained unbeaten with a 27-21 comeback win over previously unbeaten Syracuse. The performance earned him the Doak Walker …

DALLAS (SMU) – Clemson running back Will Shipley rushed for a career-high of 172 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers remained unbeaten with a 27-21 comeback win over previously unbeaten Syracuse. The performance earned him the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Oct. 22.

The 5-11, 205-pound sophomore from Weddington, N.C., busted a 50-yard touchdown run with 11:26 to play to give Clemson the lead for good, rallying from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to give the Tigers a 38th consecutive home win, an Atlantic Coast Conference record. Overall, Clemson is now riding a 14-game winning streak.

The 100-yard game was the seventh of Shipley’s career and the eighth time he’s scored multiple touchdowns. Saturday’s scores were the 20th and 21st of his career as Clemson rushed a season-high 60 times for a season-high 293 yards. To go with his 27 carries, Shipley added 53 on two kickoff return yards and 17 receiving yards on three catches to finish the day with 242 all-purpose yards, four more than his previous career high set the previous week at Florida State.

The Tigers are idle this week before traveling to Notre Dame for a Nov. 5 prime-time game on NBC at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Other candidates for the honor in Week 8 included:

  • Roman Hembry, Maryland:The redshirt freshman rushed for a career-high 179 yards – his fourth-career 100-yard game – and scored three touchdowns as the Terps topped Northwestern, 31-24. One play after Northwestern scored to tie the game at 24, Hembry broke off a career-long 75-yard touchdown run with 3:22 left to play to put the Terps ahead for good.
  • Dae Dae Hunter, Liberty:The sophomore ran 23 times for 213 yards and a touchdown as the Flames scored 38 unanswered points in blasting BYU, 41-14. Hunter reeled off an 80-yard touchdown run, the third-longest in program history. The 213 rushing yards are the most by a Liberty player since 2008, and Hunter’s 31 receiving yards in the game gave him 244 all-purpose yards on the day.
  • Deneric Prince, Tulsa:The senior ran for a career-high 231 yards on 20 carries as Tulsa won at Temple last Friday, 27-16, despite an early 10-0 deficit. Prince had Tulsa’s first 200-yard game since 2017, which Included an 84-yard score, the fourth-longest run in school history. It was Prince’s fourth 100-yard game and first of the season. He also added his first touchdown reception, an 18-yarder in the first half.

The Doak Walker Award presented by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum has been awarded to the nation’s top running back since 1990. For the first time, the award is recognizing a national running back of the week this season. A select 20-person committee from the award’s full voting body of media and past winners chooses the weekly recipient. On July 20, a preseason candidates list was released and semifinalists for the award will be named on Nov. 22. A week later, the three finalists will be announced.

The 2022 Doak Walker Award winner will be unveiled live on The Home Depot College Football Awards, televised by ESPN on Dec. 8. The annual banquet, where the winner and the recipient of the 2022 PwC Doak Walker Legends Award will be honored, will take place in February on the SMU campus.

The Doak Walker Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 800 recipients since 1935. Visit NCFAA.org for more information.

Two Longhorns make the preseason Doak Walker Award Watch List

Only Wisconsin can boast as many Doak Walker winners as Texas. 

Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson are squarely in the spotlight heading into the 2022 season. The two running backs were named to the preseason Doak Walker Watch List issued by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum.

The Doak Walker award is given to the best running back in the nation. Doak Walker was a standard-setter at SMU at the halfback position.

Famously, Ricky Williams wore No. 37 in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma to honor the running back with whom he would befriend before Walker’s passing. Williams, now known as Errick Miron, remarked, “I thought it would be neat to wear 37 in the house that Doak built,” said Williams. “I’m playing with him in my heart.”

Four Longhorns have won the prestigious award. Only Wisconsin can boast as many Doak Walker winners as Texas.

Robinson and Johnson will try to join Cedric Benson, D’Onta Foreman, and two-time winner Ricky Williams on that list.

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New Michigan State football transfer RB Jarek Broussard named to Doak Walker Award watchlist

New Michigan State transfer running back Jarek Broussard named to Doak Walker Award watchlist

Last year, Michigan State football shocked the nation as their unheralded transfer running back from Wake Forest, Kenneth Walker III, ran his way into the Heisman Trophy conversation and earned himself the Doak Walker Award. This year, they will try to repeat that success with Jarek Broussard.

Broussard, a transfer to the Spartans from Mel Tucker’s last home of Colorado, was named to the Doak Walker Award watchlist on Wednesday.

Broussard certainly has the talent – he rushed for 1,556 yards over two seasons with the Buffaloes and will now be able to show what he can do on an even bigger stage with MSU.

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