DALLAS – A quartet of Conference USA running backs were tabbed for the 2023 Doak Walker Award Watch List the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced Wednesday. Louisiana Tech redshirt sophomore RB Marquis Crosby, Middle Tennessee junior RB Frank Peasant, UTEP redshirt junior RB Deion Hankins and WKU redshirt junior RB Davion Ervin-Poindexter represent CUSA on the Doak Walker Preseason Watch List, an award presented to the nation’s best running back.
Crosby appeared in all 12 games in 2022 for the Bulldogs and carried 183 times for 918 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards per rush. Additionally, the Hattiesburg, Miss., native caught nine passes for 65 yards out of the backfield.
Peasant, a member of the league’s preseason watch list, appeared in 13 games in 2022 for the Blue Raiders, who finished 8-5 with a win over San Diego State in the easypost Hawai’i Bowl. The Pensacola, Fla., native carried 182 times for 774 yards and nine rushing scores last year, while also catching 28 passes for 286 yards and another two touchdowns.
Hankins appeared in all 12 games in 2022 for the Miners and carried 140 times for 701 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Additionally, the El Paso native caught four passes for 42 yards out of the backfield.
Ervin-Pointdexter appeared in all 14 games for the Hilltoppers during his first season in Bowling Green in 2022, helping them to a 9-5 season that culminated with an R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl win over South Alabama. The Merrillville, Ind., native carried 116 times for 525 yards and three scores, while also catching 15 passes for 84 yards out of the backfield.
University athletic departments nominate candidates for the award and can continue to do so through October.
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 in November. The committee will cast a second vote in December to determine the recipient. 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 2023 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards.
The award 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.
Honoring the legends of sports for 33 years, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum celebrates outstanding success in athletics. Based in Dallas, the series features major figures from a variety of sports. The PwC SMU Athletic Forum includes four luncheons and the prestigious Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet.
The Doak Walker Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
-ConferenceUSA.com-
