Starkville, MS– Mississippi State junior running back Aeris Williams was announced as a preseason Doak Walker Award candidate, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced Thursday.
The Doak Walker Award is given to annually to the nation’s top college running back and is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.
Williams exploded during the latter half of 2016, rushing for more than 100 yards in critical SEC West matchups against Texas A&M and Ole Miss. He averaged 112.5 yards per game in the month of November, which was the fifth-best mark in the SEC last season.
Williams put forth the best game of his career against in-state rival Ole Miss, rushing for 191 yards and his first multi-touchdown performance. Williams and his teammate Nick Fitzgerald combined to rush for 449 yards in route to the largest margin of victory in the annual Egg Bowl since 1916.
Ten semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award will be unveiled on Nov. 15, with three finalists selected Nov. 20. The winner will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 7.
