Aug. 28, 2008
LAS VEGAS - UNLV senior running back Frank "The Tank" Summers was one of 43 players named to the official Doak Walker Award Watch List, which was released Thursday.
The award is presented annually to the nation's top college running back. Summers seems primed for a big senior season after becoming the first Rebel in history to lead his team in both rushing touchdowns (six) and receiving touchdowns (four) in the same season. He led UNLV with 928 yards on the ground and also picked up 252 through the air on 23 catches.
The former Cal signee is a graduate of Oakland's Skyline High School and transferred to UNLV after a dominating JC career at Laney College. He will start his 13th straight game on Saturday when the Rebels open their season by hosting Utah State starting at 7 p.m.
The Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select the semifinalists on November 10, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast votes to determine the finalists, who will be announced on November 24. The committee will cast a second vote beginning on December 1 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 2008 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on ESPN on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on December 11. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at The Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, on Feb. 6, 2009.
The award, in its 19th year, is named for SMU's three-time All-America running back Doak Walker.
The complete list of candidates:
Tarrion Adams (Sr.), TulsaReggie Arnold (Jr.), Arkansas StateKahill Bell (Sr.), UCLAAndre Brown (Sr.), North Carolina StateDonald Brown (Jr.), ConnecticutDonald Buckram (So.), UTEPJames Davis (Sr.), ClemsonMike Davis (Sr.), South CarolinaAndre Dixon (Jr.), ConnecticutAnthony Dixon (Jr.), Mississippi StateJonathan Dwyer (So.), Georgia TechJamelle Eugene (Jr.), North Carolina StateTyrell Fenroy (Sr.), Louisiana LafayetteRodney Ferguson (Sr.), New MexicoDamion Flecther (Jr.), Southern MississippiArian Foster (Sr.), TennesseeMike Goodson (Jr.), Texas A&MKeegan Herring (Sr.), Arizona StateP.J. Hill (Jr.), WisconsinDeonte Jackson (So.), IdahoTerrell Jackson (Sr.), UTEPEugene Jarvis (Jr.), Kent StateIan Johnson (Sr.), Boise StateEric Kettani (Sr.), Naval AcademyJorvorskie Lane (Sr.), Texas A&MLuke Lippincott (Sr.), Nevada, RenoGreg Little (So.), North CarolinaMarlon Lucky (Sr.), NebraskaDarrell Mack (Sr.), UtahDeMyron Martin (Sr.), SMULeSean McCoy (So.), PittsburghKnowshon Moreno (So.), GeorgiaDeMarco Murray (So.), OklahomaJavon Ringer (Sr.), Michigan StateKory Sheets (Sr.), PurdueMichael Smith (Jr.), ArkansasC.J. Spiller (Jr.), ClemsonJames Starks (Jr.), BuffaloFrank Summers (Sr.), UNLVTyrell Sutton (Sr.), NorthwesternJoseph Turner (Jr.), TCUHarvey Unga (So.), BYUChris Wells (Jr.), Ohio State
