Preseason watch list for the 2022 Doak Walker Award unveiled, Pac-12 has 10 total selections
No Power Five conference had more players on the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award than the Pac-12.
Ten players in total, from nine programs, found their way onto the preseason watch list. The Big Ten had 10 as well, but the SEC and the ACC each had eight while the Big 12 had seven. The watch list, released Wednesday, included 74 running backs from across college football. The award is presented annually to the nation’s best tailback.
Several schools had multiple players selected for the preseason watch list, including USC. Both of the Trojans transfer additions in the backfield—Travis Dye from Oregon and Austin Jones from Stanford—found their names on the watch list.
Here are the selections from the Pac-12:
- Xazavian Valladay, Arizona State
- Damien Moore, Cal
- Alex Fontenot, Colorado
- Byron Cardwell, Oregon
- Deshaun Fenwick, Oregon State
- EJ Smith, Stanford
- Zach Charbonnet, UCLA
- Travis Dye, USC
- Austin Jones, USC
- Tavion Thomas, Utah
Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker claimed the trophy last season. The last Pac-12 back to win the award was Stanford’s Bryce Love in 2017. Since the award’s inception in 1990, current Pac-12 programs have won it six times. Stanford is the only team so far to win it multiple times.
University athletic departments nominate candidates for the award. They will be able to continue to do so through October. In mid-November, 10 semifinalists for the award will be announced. Later that same month, the list will be whittle down to three finalists. The winner of the award will be announced live on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards show.
The full watch list for the award is below.
- Devon Achane (Jr.), Texas A&M
- Braelon Allen (So.), Wisconsin
- Rasheen Ali (So.), Marshall
- Ronald Awatt (Sr.), UTEP
- Tank Bigsby (Jr.), Auburn
- Isaiah Bowser (Sr.), UCF
- British Brooks (Sr.), North Carolina
- Jarek Broussard (Sr.), Michigan State
- Antario Brown (So.), Northern Illinois
- Chase Brown (Jr.), Illinois
- Jermaine Brown (Jr.), UAB
- Byron Cardwell (So.), Oregon
- Nate Carter (So.), UCONN
- Zach Charbonnet (Sr.), UCLA
- Blake Corum (Jr.), Michigan
- Travis Dye (Sr.), USC
- Justice Ellison (So.), Wake Forest
- Samson Evans (Jr.), Eastern Michigan
- Deshaun Fenwick (Jr.), Oregon State
- Alex Fontenot (Sr.), Colorado
- Pat Garwo (Jr.), Boston College
- Frank Gore, Jr. (So.), Southern Miss
- Eric Gray (Sr.), Oklahoma
- Gerald Green (Jr.), Georgia Southern
- Tucker Gregg (Sr.), Georgia State
- Hassan Hall (Sr.), Georgia Tech
- Deion Hankins (So.), UTEP
- TreVeyon Henderson (So.), Ohio State
- George Holani (Jr.), Boise State
- Evan Hull (Sr.), Northwestern
- Mohamed Ibrahim (Sr.), Minnesota
- Dillon Johnson (Jr.), Mississippi State
- Roschon Johnson (Sr.), Texas
- Austin Jones (Sr.), USC
- Johnnie Lang, Jr. (Sr.), Arkansas State
- Keyvone Lee (So.), Penn State
- Joquavious Marks (Jr.), Mississippi State
- DeWayne McBride (Jr.), UAB
- Chez Mellusi (Sr.), Wisconsin
- Kendre Miller (Jr.), TCU
- Jordan Mims (Sr.), Fresno State
- Keaton Mitchell (So.), East Carolina
- Damien Moore (Jr.), Cal
- Devin Neal (So.), Kansas
- Lew Nichols, III (So.), Central Michigan
- Nate Noel (So.), App State
- Nathaniel Peat (Sr.), Missouri
- Camerun Peoples (Jr.), App State
- Dominic Richardson (Jr.), Oklahoma State
- Johnny Richardson (Jr.), UCF
- Bijan Robinson (Jr.), Texas
- Raheim Sanders (So.), Arkansas
- Will Shipley (So.), Clemson
- Shaun Shivers (Sr.), Indiana
- Jabari Small (Jr.), Tennessee
- Chris Smith (Jr.), Louisiana
- Dontae Smith (Jr.), Georgia Tech
- E.J. Smith (Jr.), Stanford
- Tyjae Spears (So.), Tulane
- Titus Swen (Jr.), Wyoming
- Tavion Thomas (Jr.), Utah
- Sean Tucker (So.), Syracuse
- Calvin Tyler, Jr. (Sr.), Utah State
- Sean Tyler (Jr.), Western Michigan
- Chris Tyree (Jr.), Notre Dame
- Xazavian Valladay (Sr.), Arizona State
- Deuce Vaughn (Jr.), Kansas State
- Kimani Vidal (So.), Troy
- Blake Watson (Jr.), Old Dominion
- Treshaun Ward (So.), Florida State
- Harrison Waylee (So.), Northern Illinois
- Jalen White (Jr.), Georgia Southern
- Jamyest Williams (Sr.), Georgia State
- Nay’Quan Wright (Jr.), Florida