Mid-American Conference

Six MAC Students Named To 2018 Doak Walker Award Watch List

DALLAS - The PwC SMU Athletic Forum released today the preseason candidates for the 2018 Doak Walker Award. The Forum annually presents the award to the nation’s top college running back. Representing the MAC are six students -- junior LeVante Bellamy of Western Michigan, senior Jamauri Bogan of Western Michigan, sophomore Andrew Clair of Bowling Green, senior Ian Eriksen of Eastern Michigan, junior Emmanuel Reed of Buffalo and senior Kenny Young of Miami.

Bellamy, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., has been one of Western Michigan's most explosive backs but has had the last two seasons cut short by injury. Last year he totaled 394 yards rushing on 49 attempts and scored three touchdowns in six games played. One of the fastest players on the Bronco squad when healthy, Bellamy's speed was on display in the season-opener at No. 4 USC where he had a 48-yard run and finished with 98 yards on nine carries against the Trojans. Bellamy also ripped off a 66-yard touchdown run on the opening drive in Western Michigan's seven-overtime win at Buffalo.

Bogan, a native of Union, N.J., enters his final season at Western Michigan ranked eighth in school history with 2,563 career rushing yards and fourth with 27 career rushing touchdowns. Bogan has been Western Michigan's go-to running back in short yardage situations and last year had 589 yards and three touchdowns on 112 attempts before sustaining a season-ending injury in game 10 vs. Central Michigan. In 2015 he was named MAC Freshman of the Year after totaling 1,051 yards and 16 TDs. He was also named MVP of the Popeye's Bahamas Bowl in Western Michigan's 45-31 win over Middle Tennessee after running for a career-high 215 yards and four TDs.

Clair, a native of St. Louis, Mo., was named Third Team All-MAC last year as a true freshman after breaking the school record by averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He finished with 725 yards on the ground and would have placed in the top 10 nationally in rushing average had he earned enough carries. During the 2017 season, Clair scored six touchdowns, four rushing and two receiving, and also was one of the team's primary kick returners, averaging 20.6 yards per return. He finished with a team-high 1,184 all-purpose yards, ranking fifth in the country among true freshmen with 107.6 all-purpose yards per game. At one point, he had four consecutive 100-yard rushing games, beginning with 16 carries for 121 yards in a win at Miami. Clair then had a career-best 148 yards and two touchdowns against Ohio, 108 more against Northern Illinois and then 111 yards in a win at Kent State.

Eriksen, a native of Clarkston, Mich., played in all 12 games last seasson for Eastern Michigan, with seven starts. Eriksen led the Eagles in rushing with 810 yards on 179 carries, including eight touchdowns. He recorded four 100-yard performances, highlighted by a three touchdown game against Bowling Green in the season finale on Nov. 21. He also rushed for a season high of 117-yards against Miami on Nov. 15.

Reed, a native of Crestview, Fla., had a breakout season for the Bulls in 2017. Reed started the final nine games of the year and led the Bulls in rushing with 840 yards and nine touchdowns. Reed also had five 100-yard games in 2017, including a 144-yard, three-touchdown performance against Kent State which earned him MAC East Player of the Week honors.

Young, a native of Tallahasee, Fla., led Miami last season with 145 carries for 781 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games. The fifth-year senior added 27 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns through the air. In a win over Akron, Young rushed for 109 yards while adding another 89 receiving yards. He earned MAC East Offensive Player of the Week following his efforts in a win over Buffalo, in which he ran for a career-high 125 yards and two scores. Young is closing in on 2,000 career rushing yards, registering 1,622 his first three years. With 378 yards on the ground this season, Young would become just the 14th player in Miami history to surpass 2,000 career rushing yards. He also has 536 career receiving yards for a combined total of 2,158 yards from scrimmage.

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 on 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 2018 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 6 on ESPN.

The award, which will name its 29th recipient in 2018, 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 29 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 (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 24 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.
 
The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a 12-day period this month. Seventeen of the association's 24 awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates.