DALLAS — UTSA running back Kevorian Barnes has been named to the Doak Walker Award candidate list as announced on Tuesday by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum.
Barnes is one of 87 players named to the list for the award presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding college running back.
A redshirt junior from San Augustine, Texas, Barnes rushed for a team-high 715 yards and six touchdowns on 147 attempts and also caught 14 passes for 61 yards in 2023. He logged a trio of 100-yard rushing games, opening the year with 103 yards and a TD on 16 carries at Houston. He also went for 103 on 26 totes in the 20-13 home victory over Texas State and gashed North Texas for a season-high 129 yards and two scores on 16 rushes in the 37-29 road triumph.
Barnes enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2022 as a redshirt freshman, as he collected Conference USA Freshman of the Year, C-USA All-Freshman Team and honorable mention all-conference honors. He rushed for 845 yards and six touchdowns on 135 carries, averaging 6.3 yards per rush. Barnes topped the 100-yard mark on the ground in five games and piled up 825 of his rushing yards over the final eight contests. He will enter the 2024 season with 1,576 yards and 12 TDs on the ground in 27 career games as a Roadrunner.
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 be announced later 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 Dec. 12.
The award is named for SMU’s three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. Each Tuesday of this season, The PwC SMU Athletic Forum will once again announce a Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week.
Sixteen National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) members are unveiling preseason watch lists over a 12-day period as the association spearheads a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter at @NCFAA.
The Roadrunners will kick off the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 31, when they host Kennesaw State at 2:30 p.m. at the Alamodome.
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