AUBURN, Ala. – Going back to 2004, Auburn has had eight different semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award. So it was no surprise to see an Auburn player on the preseason watch list for this year's award that is given annually to the nation's best running back.
This year, the award tabbed Auburn senior Kam Martin as one of 71 players on its preseason watch list.
Martin played in 12 games last year and finished second on the team with 458 yards on 103 carries, averaging 4.45 yards per carry. He gained 58 yards on 11 carries in the Music City Bowl win over Purdue, and he now has 1,231 career rushing yards after going over 300 yards in each of his first three seasons on The Plains.
The running game should be a strength for Auburn this season with its top three rushers (Martin, JaTarvious Whitlow and Shaun Shivers) all back along with all five starters on the offensive line.
The Tigers are just two years removed from seeing Kerryon Johnson named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award following his junior season. Since Gus Malzahn took over as head coach in 2013, Auburn has had four different semifinalists for the award (Tre Mason – 2013, Cameron Artis-Payne – 2014, Kamryn Pettway – 2016, Johnson – 2017).
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name ten semifinalists in November, and three finalists, as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, will be announced on Nov. 20. The committee will then cast a second vote beginning Dec. 2 to determine the recipient.
The recipient of the 2019 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 12 on ESPN.
The award, which will name its 30th recipient in 2019, is named for SMU's three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.