DALLAS — UTSA sophomore Sincere McCormick has been named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced Monday.
McCormick is one of 10 semifinalists for the award that recognizes the nation's premier running back for his accomplishments on the field, achievement in the classroom and citizenship in the community.
A product of Converse Judson High School, McCormick leads Conference USA and stands second in the nation with a UTSA-record 1,345 rushing yards through 10 games. A 2019 Freshman All-American, he has scored a school-record 11 rushing touchdowns, which puts him second in C-USA and 11th in the FBS, on 22 carries — also a UTSA record — and he is averaging 6.0 yards per carry and 134.5 yards per contest in 2020. He has 31 runs of 10-or-more yards, including 16 of 20-plus yards and four that have gone for 50-plus yards, and he has gained 748 yards after contact.
McCormick opened the season by breaking his own school record for with 197 rushing yards and a TD on 29 attempts in the 51-48 double-overtime win over Texas State. He gashed the UAB defense for 150 yards and a score on 22 totes on Oct. 3 and also topped 100 yards with 133 on 18 rushes versus Army two weeks later. McCormick bettered his own program standard for rushing attempts in a game with 37 for 165 yards and a school-record-tying three touchdowns in the 27-26 victory over Louisiana Tech, a performance that earned him Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week accolades.
He reached several milestones in the 23-20 road triumph over Southern Miss on Nov. 21. McCormick became the second Roadrunner to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season and also raced the 2,000-yard plateau for his career after tallying 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 32 carries. He closed out the regular season in style by shattering his own school record with 251 rushing yards and two scores on 23 rushes in the 49-17 win over North Texas.
A four-time C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, McCormick has topped 100 yards on the ground six times this fall and a program-best nine times for his career. He has rushed for 150-plus yards in five games and he owns the top two and five of the top 10 rushing performances in the conference this season. The 2019 C-USA Freshman of the Year has racked up 643 rushing yards and seven TDs in his last four contests and has surpassed the century mark in four of his last five outings.
McCormick also has eclipsed his own school record for all-purpose yards in a season with 1,467 and he currently is the program's all-time leader in average yards per rush (5.8) and rushing yards per game (105.8).
2020 Doak Walker Award Semifinalists
Travis Etienne, Clemson
Breece Hall, Iowa State
Najee Harris, Alabama
Mo Ibrahim, Minnesota
Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State
Sincere McCormick, UTSA
Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M
Jaret Patterson, Buffalo
Javonte Williams, North Carolina
Kyren Williams, Notre Dame
To determine the 2020 finalists, members of the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast their votes. Three finalists for the award will be named on Monday, Dec. 21. The Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast a second vote to select the 2020 award recipient. The 2020 Doak Walker Award recipient will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Jan. 7, on ESPN.
The Award is named after three-time SMU All-America running back and 1948 Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker. Walker, who also punted, returned kicks and kicked extra points, led the Mustangs to two Southwest Conference Championships. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions and led the league in scoring his rookie year. During his six years with the Lions, he led the team to two NFL championships and was chosen All-Pro four times. Walker is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
The Doak Walker Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which includes college football's most prestigious awards. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards boast 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit NCFAA.org to learn more about the NCFAA.
Honoring the legends of sports for 31 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.
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