BATON ROUGE – LSU junior running back Derrius Guice has been named a preseason candidate for the 2017 Doak Walker Award, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum released Thursday.
The award is presented annually to the nation’s top college running back. The National Selection Committee consists of past recipients, former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives.
The recipient of the 2017 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 7 on ESPN. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet is scheduled for February 16, 2018 in Dallas.
Guice heads into the 2017 season as one of the most electric ball carriers in the country. The Baton Rouge native broke two school records, earned All-America honors and was named to the All-SEC first team by the league’s coaches and media.
The Baton Rouge native scored on the longest run in LSU history (96 yards) and set the single-game rushing record with 285 yards in the win over Texas A&M. Guice led the SEC in rushing yards and ranked second in the league in rushing yards per game.
This marks the third preseason watch list Guice has been named to. Guice was also named to the Maxwell Award Watch List and the Paul Hornung Award Watch List.
The award, which will name its 28th recipient in 2017, 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.
The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a 12-day period this month. Seventeen of the association’s 23 awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Following is the entire 2017 preseason watch list calendar:
2017 NCFAA Awards Preseason Watch List Calendar
Monday, July 10: Bednarik Award – Arden Key and Kevin Toliver II / Maxwell Award – Arden Key and Derrius Guice
Tuesday, July 11: Rimington Trophy – Will Clapp
Thursday, July 13: Bronko Nagurski Trophy – Arden Key and Kevin Toliver II / Outland Trophy – Will Clapp
Friday, July 14: Jim Thorpe Award – Donte Jackson
Monday, July 17: Paul Hornung Award – Derrius Guice / Butkus Award – Arden Key
Tuesday, July 18: Wuerffel Trophy – Danny Etling
Wednesday, July 19: Davey O’Brien Award – Danny Etling
Thursday, July 20: Doak Walker Award – Derrius Guice
Friday, July 21: Walter Camp Award