Five MAC Students Named to 2017 Doak Walker Award Watch List
FIVE MAC STUDENTS NAMED TO 2017 DOAK WALKER AWARD WATCH LIST
DALLAS - The PwC SMU Athletic Forum released today the preseason candidates for the 2017 Doak Walker Award. The Forum annually presents the award to the nation’s top college running back. Representing the MAC are Western Michigan senior Jarvion Franklin and junior Jamauri Bogan, Ball State junior James Gilbert, Toledo senior Terry Swanson and Eastern Michigan junior Shaq Vann.
Franklin, 6-0 and 225 lbs., carried 241 times for 1,300 yards last season, the seventh-highest single-season total in Western Michigan history. He added 12 rushing touchdowns, the ninth most in a single season at Western Michigan. Frankiln rushed for school single-game record 281 yards at Akron (10/15) and became the all-time leader at Western Michigan in rushing touchdowns with 41. A native of Tinley Park, Ill., Franklin had 14 total touchdowns last season (12 rushing and 2 receiving), which ranked eighth most in a single season at Western Michigan. His 1,555 all-purpose yards are 11th most in a single season at Western Michigan.
Bogan, 5-7 and 192 lbs., carried 163 times for 865 yards and eight touchdowns, despite playing in only 10 games, last season. A native of Union, N.J., Bogan rushed for 100 or more yards in each of the team’s first four games and his 23 career rushing touchdowns ranks sixth most in Western Michigan football history.
Gilbert, 5-8 and 194 lbs., played in all 12 games last year and started the final eight games and led the MAC with 12 rushing touchdowns. Gilbert, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., piled up piled up 1,332 rushing yards, the fourth most in a single season by a Ball State player. Gilbert reached the 100-yard rushing mark seven times, including a stretch of five consecutive games in the middle of the season. He rushed for 264 yards and two touchdowns at Buffalo on Oct. 15.
Swanson, 5-10 and 200 lbs., ranked second on team in rushing last season with 583 yards on 116 attempts and also caught 10 passes for 74 yards. A native of Aliquippa, Pa., Swanson had a season-high 112 yards and one touchdown vs. Bowling Green.
Vann, 5-10 and 220 lbs., appeared in only two games due to injury last season and tallied 166 yards on 21 carries. A native of South Bend, Ind., Vann scored two touchdowns in the season opener against Mississippi Valley State.
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.
