ACC with 15 Running Backs Named Candidates for the 2024 Doak Walker Award

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced the preseason candidates for the 2024 Doak Walker Award on Tuesday, August 6. The Forum annually presents the award to the nation’s most outstanding college running back.

The award is named for SMU’s three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. Each Tuesday this season, The PwC SMU Athletic Forum will once again announce a Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week.

The ACC had 15 running backs recognized as preseason candidates, including 2023 award finalist Omarion Hampton of North Carolina and 2023 semifinalist Damien Martinez of Miami. Also named to the list were LeQuint Allen of Syracuse, Ryan Butler of Stanford, Donald Chaney of Louisville, Demond Claiborne of Wake Forest, Rodney Hammond Jr. of Pitt, Jamal Haynes of Georgia Tech, Jaylan Knighton of SMU, Phil Mafah of Clemson, Jaquez Moore of Duke, Jaydn Ott of California, Kye Robichaux of Boston College, Bhayshul Tuten of Virginia Tech and Jordan Waters of NC State.

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 10 semifinalists in November. Three finalists, as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, will also 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 2024 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on December 12, 2024.

ACC Representatives on the 2024 Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List:

• Kye Robichaux, Boston College, Senior, RB
• Jaydn Ott, Cal, Junior, RB
• Phil Mafah, Clemson, Senior, RB
• Jaquez Moore, Duke, Senior, RB
• Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech, Redshirt Junior, RB
• Donald Chaney, Louisville, Junior, RB
• Damien Martinez, Miami, Junior, RB
• Omarion Hampton, North Carolina, Junior, RB
• Jordan Waters, NC State, Graduate Student, RB
• Rodney Hammond Jr., Pitt, Senior, RB
• Jaylan Knighton, SMU, Graduate Student, RB
• Ryan Butler, Stanford, Junior, RB
• LeQuint Allen, Syracuse, Junior, RB
• Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech, Senior, RB
• Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest, Junior, RB

ACC Football Notes

• The ACC is the Conference of Quarterbacks, with the return of full-time starters Thomas Castellanos at Boston College, Cade Klubnik at Clemson, Grayson Loftis at Duke, Haynes King at Georgia Tech, Preston Stone at SMU, and Kyron Drones at Virginia Tech, and transfers DJ Uiagalelei at Florida State, Tyler Shough at Louisville, Cam Ward at Miami, Grayson McCall at NC State, and Kyle McCord at Syracuse among others.
• ACC had 10 quarterbacks named to the Maxwell Award preseason watch list, no other conference had more.
• ACC has the top-ranked group of quarterback transfers in 2024 by CBS Sports.
• 13 QBs in the league enter the 2024 season with over 20 career touchdown passes and 3,500 career passing yards.
• Eight quarterbacks from ACC schools are projected to start Week 1 in the 2024 NFL season — 25 percent of NFL teams.
• Since 2018, the ACC has had at least one quarterback drafted in the first round in five different drafts — the only conference to do that.
• The ACC’s non-conference schedule continues to be the most challenging in the country.
• 27 games against Power 4 opponents, including Notre Dame, the most of any conference.
• Nine non-conference games against teams ranked in the final 2023 Associated Press Top 25 Poll, the most of any conference.
• 10 non-conference games against teams in ESPN’s 2024 Way-Too-Early Top 25, the most of any conference.

ACC Features Elite Coaching Leadership

• Six ACC head coaches were named to the 2024 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List, as announced by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Peach Bowl, no other conference had more.
• Two of the three active coaches to win a national title reside in the ACC - Dabo Swinney led Clemson to national titles in 2016 and 2018. North Carolina’s Mack Brown won a national title at Texas in 2005.
• The 2024 ACC Football Championship Game will kick off in primetime at 8 p.m. ET on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 7, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

About the Doak Walker Award

The prestigious Doak Walker Award was created in 1989 to honor the nation’s most outstanding collegiate running back. Named for the 1948 Heisman Trophy winner and three-time All-America selection from SMU, the Doak Walker Award recognizes a football player’s outstanding performance on the field, as well as his achievements in the community and in the classroom.

About The PWC SMU Athletic Forum

Honoring the legends of sports for 35 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 events and the prestigious Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet.

About the NCFAA

Founded in 1997, the National College Football Awards Association includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.

About the ACC

The Atlantic Coast Conference, in its 72nd year and 18 members strong, stands as one of the most competitive and revered intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members including Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest are dedicated to upholding the league's founding values of academic excellence, athletic competition at the highest level, and integrity. The ACC supports 28 NCAA sports, with 15 for women and 13 for men, and its member institutions span 12 states. In August 2019, the ACC and ESPN partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national network exclusively devoted to ACC sports and original programming.