Penn State leads country in preseason watchlist nominees for national award
Penn State has three of the nation’s top running backs in the country heading into next season.
The Doak Walker Award, given annually to the country’s best running back, announced its preseason watch list on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions have three players on it — the only college football team to reach that benchmark.
Noah Cain, Keyvone Lee and John Lovett were all named to the watchlist.
Here’s the announcement:
Count 'em up‼️
1⃣ @TheRealNoahCain
2⃣ @KeyvoneL
3⃣ @_JLovett7The only program in the country with three named to the @DoakWalkerAward Watch List 👀#LawnBoyz #WeAre pic.twitter.com/8NmN2JOrnI
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) July 21, 2021
Last season, Lee led Penn State in both rushing yards (438) and rushing touchdowns (4). He averaged 5.5 yards per carry and also caught 12 passes for 66 yards.
Cain was slated to be Penn State’s starter last season before suffering a knee injury last October. He carried the ball just three times before going out for the season.
Lovett is a Baylor transfer who is one of the most experienced running backs in college football. He has 353 carries for 1,803 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career.
Penn State opens its 2021 season at Wisconsin on Sept. 4.