Tulsa Running Back Duo of Shamari Brooks and Corey Taylor II Selected to the Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List
7/15/2020 12:01:00 PM | Football
DALLAS, Texas –– The University of Tulsa senior running back tandem of Shamari Brooks and Corey Taylor II were named to the Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List, it was announced today by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum. It's the second consecutive season that Brooks and Taylor have been named to the preseason watch list
The Doak Walker Award, named for SMUs three-time All-America running back Doak Walker, is annually presented to the nation's top college running back. The 2019 award recipient was Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor.
Brooks and Taylor, both from the Tulsa area, have combined for 4,190 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns in their careers.
Brooks, who stands 5'9" from Tulsa Union High School, rushed for a team-high 1,046 yards and six touchdowns last year in 12 games. He earned second-team American Athletic Conference accolades in 2019. Brooks turned in a career-best 202 rushing yards on 16 carries in the season finale against East Carolina to finish the season ranked 5th in the AAC.
A three-year letterwinner and two-year starter, Brooks has played in 32 career games and has 2,700 total rushing yards and 23 TDs. He has 12-career 100+ rushing games, including four in each of his three seasons.
Brooks enters the 2020 season ranked 5th on the school's career rushing list and 9th for career rushing TDs. He needs 1,217 rushing yards in 2020 to tie D'Angelo Brewer (2014-17) for the school's all-time rushing lead.
Taylor, a three-year letterwinner, has gained 1,490 career yards and 22 TDs in 32 games. He tallied 461 yards and six touchdowns on 119 carries last year, after turning in 846 yards and 11 touchdowns his sophomore season of 2018.
The 5'10" running back, who played his prep football at Holland Hall (Okla.) High School, has five career 100-yard rushing games. Taylor tallied a career-high 152 yards on 33 carries in his only career starting assignment against Houston in 2018.
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists in November, and three finalists, as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, will also be announced November. The committee will cast a second vote in December 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.
Tulsa opens the 2020 football season on Saturday, September 5, with a home game against the Toledo Rockets.
Players Mentioned
Running Back
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