Texas Tech junior Justin Stockton garnered his first preseason recognition Thursday as he was named to the watch list for the Doak Walker Award which is presented annually to the nation’s top running back.
Stockton was one of the most explosive players in the country a year ago as he found the endzone 11 times either on the ground or through the passing game. He recorded a touchdown in eight of Tech’s 13 games overall.
The Cibolo, Texas native averaged 8.5 yards per touch as he totaled 367 rushing yards on 61 carries (6.0 average) while adding 341 receiving yards on just 22 catches. His 15.5 yards per catch was the second-highest average on the team.
Stockton, who earned All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades from the conference coaches, went over 100 yards twice despite serving as the backup to 1,000-yard rusher DeAndre Washington. He posted a career-high 135 yards against UTEP early in the season and then accounted for 101 yards later in the year against Iowa State.
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name ten semifinalists on Nov. 16 before a national selection committee determines three finalists which will be announced on Nov. 22. The committee will cast a second vote beginning Nov. 28 to determine the winner.
The 2016 Doak Walker Award will be presented live on The Home Depot College Football Awards which is set to air Dec. 8 on ESPN. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held in Dallas in early 2017.
The Doak Walker Award, now in its 27th season, is named for former SMU three-time All-American 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.