Ad Disclosure
Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor named finalist for Doak Walker Award
Published:
Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor has been named one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award, presented to the best running back in college football.
Taylor’s nomination comes as no surprise, as he leads FBS running backs in multiple categories this season. The announcement came on Monday afternoon.
Joining Taylor as a finalist is Memphis running back Darrell Henderson and Clemson’s Travis Etienne. The winner will be announced during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 6.
Taylor has had a spectacular season for the Badgers, rushing for 1,869 yards and 15 touchdowns on 261 carries. He’s averaging 169.9 yards per game this fall, an average that leads the country.
Just a sophomore, Taylor has reached 100 rushing yards in 10 of 11 games this season and has eclipsed the 200-yard mark four times. He had the best performance of his career in a win over Purdue on Saturday, galloping for 321 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 9.7 yards per carry on the game.
Claiming this award is nothing new for Wisconsin, which has a long list of winners. Ron Dayne was the first Badgers running back to be presented with the award, winning in 1999. Two other Wisconsin ball carriers, Montee Ball (2012) and Melvin Gordon (2014) have also won the Doak Walker Award.
Last year’s winner was Stanford running back Bryce Love.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB