DALLAS, TX - The PwC SMU Athletic Forum released today the preseason candidates for the 2021 Doak Walker Award. The Forum annually presents the award to the nation’s top college running back. Representing the MAC are six student-athletes -- Eastern Michigan junior Darius Boone, Toledo junior Bryant Koback, Central Michigan junior Kobe Lewis, Buffalo senior Kevin Marks, Central Michigan freshman Lew Nichols and Northern Illinois freshman Harrison Waylee. 

An Academic All-MAC selection in 2020, Boone appeared in and started three games for Eastern during its COVID-shortened campaign. Despite battling injury and different points in the season, he quickly established himself as one of the most explosive players in the Green and White, finishing the season with 44 carries for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Boone saw his first action in EMU's season-opener at Kent State, Nov. 4. There, he hauled in a 13-yard grab, his lone of the season, while rushing for 68 yards on nine attempts. His breakout game came against EMU's in-state rival, Western Michigan, Dec. 5, where he rushed for a career-high 148 yards. His best run of the Broncos went for 44 yards, which is also a career-best. Boone's efforts helped him lead all Eagles in rushing yards in 2020.

Koback has rushed for 2,626 yards and 30 touchdowns in his Rocket career. He was fourth in the MAC with 522 yards in six games in 2020, and second on the team with 24 receptions. In 2019, Koback earned second-team All-MAC honors and ranked fourth in the MAC with 1,187 rushing yards. He became the 16th player in Toledo history to crack 1,000 rushing yards in a season and the 18th Rocket to crack 2,000 career rushing yards.

Entering his senior season, Marks rushed for 741 yards in seven games last year, averaging 106 yards per game. His 6.6 yards per carry average ranked second in school history for a single season. He scored seven touchdowns on the year en route to earning All-MAC Third Team honors. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the Camellia Bowl after rushing for 138 yards and the game-winning touchdown against Marshall. For his career, Marks has rushed for 2,621 yards and 28 touchdowns. He ranks seventh in program history in career rushing yards and sixth in career touchdowns.
 

Nichols, a redshirt freshman from Detroit, led the Chippewas with 508 yards rushing and he caught 10 passes for 109 yards and scored five touchdowns. He ranked seventh in the MAC in rushing yards per game (84.7) and was ninth in yards per carry (6.5).

The Huskies' leading rusher, Waylee tallied 456 yards on 107 carries in six games last season for NIU. Waylee rushed for 114 yards on 19 carries, and scored his first career rushing touchdown against Toledo. He finished the 2020 campaign with a season-best 122 yards on 23 carries at Eastern Michigan in the season finale.
 
In addition to his rushing totals, the Johnston, Iowa native added 61 yards receiving on eight catches, and scored a touchdown. Waylee tallied a season-high 27 yards receiving on three catches at Western Michigan, including his first career touchdown on a nine-yard reception.

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 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 2021 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards.  The award 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.

More coming soon...