One of the premier running backs in University of Texas history has a chance to put his name beside some of the premier running backs in the history of college football. [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]
Johnathan Gray, the senior-to-be who ranks 15th on the school’s all-time rushing list, was named Thursday as a candidate for the Doak Walker Award, which honors the nation’s top running back.
Gray has started 13 of the 35 games in which he has played for the Longhorns, racking up 2,118 career rushing hards, including a team-high 701 as a freshman in 2012. The total was the ninth-best total by a freshman in UT history.
Gray enters his final season in Austin as the unquestioned leader of the Texas ground game after splitting carries during his first three seasons with Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron. As the team’s top running back, he should exceed his career high of 159 carries that he had in his sophomore season. His production, however, has been relatively consistent through three seasons, having averaged 4.3-4.9 yards per carry on 455 carries over three seasons, and 14 rushing touchdowns in his career, half of which came last season. Give him 250-300 carries as a senior, and it is not out of the realm of possibility to anticipate well over 1,000 yards and 10 or more touchdowns.
Two other factors should help Gray’s cause: he is fully healthy after tearing his Achilles tendon at the end of his sophomore season, and he will playing behind an offensive line that is expected to be much better in 2015 than it was last season.
Some also are mentioning Gray as a Heisman Trophy candidate, but that award usually goes to an elite player one one of the nation’s elite teams, meaning Gray would have to put up monster numbers in 2015 while the Longhorns make a massive improvement over their 6-7 record from 2014.
If he were to claim the Doak Walker Award — other preseason candidates include LSU’s Leonard Fournette, Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine, Texas A&M’s Tra Carson, Georgia’ Nick Chubb, Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott, Alabama’s Derrick Henry and Baylor’s Shock Linwood — Gray would forever carve his name on the short list of elite Longhorn running backs. Former UT stars Ricky Williams (1997 and 1998) and Cedric Benson (2004) won the Doak Walker Award, while Williams (in 1998) and Texas legend Earl Campbell (in 1977) are the only Longhorns to take home the Heisman.
Williams and former Arkansas star Darren McFadden are the only two runners to win the Doak Walker Award twice.
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