In 2001, Travis Stephens was snubbed of the Doak Walker Award by BYU Cougars running back Luke Staley. Now, 23 years later, a Vols running back on pace to break his single-season rushing record will miss out as well.
The award released its three finalists Tuesday, and the leading rusher and touchdown scorer in the SEC somehow wasn’t on there. Instead, Ashton Jeanty of the Boise State Broncos, Kaleb Johnson of the Iowa Hawkeyes and Omarion Hampton of the North Carolina made the list.
Those three backs lead the nation in rushing yards. That was clearly the only stat the committee looked at.
How could you not take into account level of competition, support from your passing game, yards per carry or scores? All of those should be major factors when determining the Doak Walker Award winner, not just raw stats.
If you want Jeanty on there, fine. He already has over 2,000 yards this year and leads all contenders in yards per carry with seven and a half and touchdowns with 27. There should be a caveat by looking at his level of competition, though.
Kaleb Johnson of the Iowa Hawkeyes has a case too because he does have solid competition against the Big Ten and is averaging just under seven yards a carry while scoring 21 touchdowns, tied for fourth in the nation. He has little help in the passing game too, so he could be the favorite.
But Omarion Hampton?
The UNC running back has 1,475 rushing yards to Sampson’s 1,307, but they both average right at 5.7 yards per carry, and Sampson has 22 touchdowns to Hampton’s 14. Then there’s the fact that Sampson plays in the SEC while Hampton is playing in the ACC.
Theoretically, you could say it’s about the support Hampton has, but UNC is actually averaging more passing yards per game in an easier conference. See, this is the type of research that’s required when you’re breaking down players deserving of awards.
Clearly, with the Doak Walker Award, the committee did none of that. They just took the top three rushers and put them in there, and Sampson, who has actually been more impressive than all of them when you watch tape. That level of laziness is what devalues these awards.
UT getting snubbed continues to be a tradition as well, from Johnny Majors to Peyton Manning to Dustin Colquitt to Henhon Hooker. Sampson joins Stephens for this award, and at some point, Vols should refuse to attend these awards shows even if they’re invited.
