CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Seventeen Atlantic Coast Conference running backs have been named preseason candidates for the 2025 Doak Walker Award, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced Tuesday. The award is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding college running back.
The ACC's 17 selections are the second-most of any conference.
The preseason list features four of the top 10 returning rushers in the league from last season: Louisville’s Isaac Brown (1,173 yards), Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne (1,049), Pitt’s Desmond Reid (962) and Georgia Tech’s Jamal Haynes (944). Several additional ACC running backs expected to take on more prominent roles in their respective offenses this fall were also recognized.
ACC Players Named to the 2025 Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List
Name, School, Class
Alex Broome, Boston College, Sophomore
Jordan McDonald, Boston College, Senior
Jaquez Moore, Duke, Senior
Gavin Sawchuk, Florida State, Junior
Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech, Senior
Isaac Brown, Louisville, Sophomore
Duke Watson, Louisville, Sophomore
Davion Gause, North Carolina, Sophomore
Hollywood Smothers, NC State, Sophomore
Desmond Reid, Pitt, Senior
Derrick McFall, SMU, Freshman
Sedrick Irvin, Stanford, Junior
Will Nixon, Syracuse, Senior
Yasin Willis, Syracuse, Sophomore
Xavier Brown, Virginia, Junior
Terion Stewart, Virginia Tech, Graduate Student
Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest, Senior
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists and then three finalists, as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, in November. The committee will cast a second vote in December to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee comprises past recipients, former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members, and selected special representatives. The recipient of the 2025 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on
The Home Depot College Football Awards on December 12, 2024.
The award is named for SMU’s three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. Each Tuesday of this season, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum will announce a Doak Walker National Running Back of the week. University athletic departments nominate candidates for the award and can continue to do so through October.
The Doak Walker Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients since 1935. Visit NCFAA.org for more information.