Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
Jackson Among Nation's Top Running Backs on Doak Walker Award Watch List
7/20/2017 8:59:00 AM | Football
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern senior running back Justin Jackson has been named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List for the third time in his career.
Jackson has also been named to the Maxwell Award and Wuerffel Trophy watch lists and is a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
Jackson is second-leading rusher in program history with 4,129 career rushing yards. He is second among active FBS Division I football players entering the 2017 season. Jackson earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors as a junior, rushing for a career-high 1,524 yards and 15 touchdowns while becoming the first player in program history to rush for 1,000-plus yards in three-straight seasons. He also led the Big Ten with 117.2 rushing yards per game, ranked 13th in the country in total rushing yards and 16th in rushing yards per contest. The Carol Stream, Illinois, native capped last season with a career-high 224 yards and three touchdowns to earn MVP honors in the Wildcats' 31-24 win over No. 23 Pittsburgh in the 2016 New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
The senior is among nine running backs from the Big Ten named to the initial watch list, including Saquon Barkley (Penn State), Kendrick Foster (Illinois), Chris James (Wisconsin), Ty Johnson (Maryland), LJ Scott (Michigan State), Bradrick Shaw (Wisconsin), Rodney Smith (Minnesota) and Mike Weber (OhioState).
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name ten semifinalists on November 15. Three finalists, as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, will be announced November 20. The committee will cast a second vote beginning November 26 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 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.
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.
Jackson has also been named to the Maxwell Award and Wuerffel Trophy watch lists and is a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
Jackson is second-leading rusher in program history with 4,129 career rushing yards. He is second among active FBS Division I football players entering the 2017 season. Jackson earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors as a junior, rushing for a career-high 1,524 yards and 15 touchdowns while becoming the first player in program history to rush for 1,000-plus yards in three-straight seasons. He also led the Big Ten with 117.2 rushing yards per game, ranked 13th in the country in total rushing yards and 16th in rushing yards per contest. The Carol Stream, Illinois, native capped last season with a career-high 224 yards and three touchdowns to earn MVP honors in the Wildcats' 31-24 win over No. 23 Pittsburgh in the 2016 New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
The senior is among nine running backs from the Big Ten named to the initial watch list, including Saquon Barkley (Penn State), Kendrick Foster (Illinois), Chris James (Wisconsin), Ty Johnson (Maryland), LJ Scott (Michigan State), Bradrick Shaw (Wisconsin), Rodney Smith (Minnesota) and Mike Weber (OhioState).
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name ten semifinalists on November 15. Three finalists, as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, will be announced November 20. The committee will cast a second vote beginning November 26 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 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.
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.
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