Smith Named to Doak Walker List

University of Arkansas senior Michael Smith was named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List, which was announced Tuesday by The Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top running back. Smith joins the list of three Razorbacks named to the watch lists for their individual position award in the last few days. The 2009 season marks the first time in school history UA has had a player on the watch lists for the Walker Award, Davey O’Brien Award (Ryan Mallett) and the Mackey Award (D.J. Williams) all in the same season. Arkansas is also one of eight teams nationally to have a player on all three lists this year (Ohio State, Va. Tech, Oregon, LSU, Oklahoma, Florida, Notre Dame). The Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select the semifinalists on November 11, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast votes to determine the finalists, who will be announced on November 23. The committee will cast a second vote beginning on November 30 to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives. The recipient of the 2009 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on ESPN on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on Thursday, December 10. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, February 19, 2010. The award, in its 20th year, 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.

2009 Doak Walker Award Watch ListArmando Allen (Jr.), Notre DameAndré Anderson (Sr.), TulaneReggie Arnold (Sr.), Arkansas StateBaron Batch (Jr.), Texas TechJahvid Best (Jr.), California, BerkeleyLeGarrette Blount (Sr.), OregonChris Brown (Sr.), OklahomaDonald Buckram (Jr.), UTEPJohn Clay (So.), WisconsinDaJuane Collins (Sr.), ToledoJeff Demps (So.), FloridaNoel Devine (Jr.), West VirginiaAndre Dixon (Sr.), ConnecticutShaun Draughn (Jr.), North CarolinaJonathan Dwyer (Jr.), Georgia TechJamelle Eugene (Sr.), North Carolina StateDarren Evans (So.), Virginia TechDamion Fletcher (Sr.), Southern MississippiToby Gerhart (Sr.), StanfordCyrus Gray (So.), Texas A&MNicolas (Nic) Grigsby (Jr.), ArizonaDuJuan Harris (Jr.), Troy Roy Helu, Jr. (Jr.), NebraskaDan Herron (So.), Ohio StateKendall Hunter (Jr.), Oklahoma StateMark Ingram (So.), AlabamaEugene Jarvis (Sr.), Kent StateMiQuale Lewis (Sr.), Ball StateDarius Marshall (Jr.), MarshallBrandon Minor (Sr.), MichiganDeMarco Murray (Jr.), OklahomaDaniel Porter (Sr.), Louisiana TechJacquizz Rodgers (So.), Oregon StateCharles Scott (Sr.), LSUDa’Rel Scott (Jr.), MarylandJake Sharp (Sr.), KansasMichael Smith (Sr.), ArkansasC.J. Spiller (Sr.), Clemson James Starks (Sr.), BuffaloCurtis Steele (Sr.), MemphisPhillip Tanner (Sr.), Middle Tennessee StateVai Taua (Jr.), NevadaJordan Todman (So.), ConnecticutJoseph Turner (Sr.), TCUBrandon West (Sr.), Western Michigan