Austin Jones named to Doak Walker Award preseason watch list
USC running back Austin Jones was one of 75 players named to the preseason watch list for the 2023 Doak Walker Award.
Jones rushed for 705 yards and five touchdowns in 2022. It was his first year with the Trojans after transferring in from Stanford. He added 267 yards and a touchdown through the air on 25 receptions. He shared time with Travis Dye to start the year but took over as the No. 1 running back down the stretch when Dye suffered a season-ending injury.
Jones came up huge in back-to-back wins against UCLA and Notre Dame to end the regular season. Against the Bruins, he rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns, to go with four receptions for 57 yards. He was also outstanding against the Irish, rushing for 154 yards on 25 carries.
He comes into the 2023 season with 1,882 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground in his career. He’s also been a prolific receiver, catching 92 passes for 798 yards and a score.
Austin will be expected to contribute to what should be an improved running game for the Trojans in 2023. He’s part of an ongoing competition at the top of that depth chart with South Carolina transfer MarShawn Lloyd.
USC and the Doak Walker Award
The Doak Walker Award has been given annually since 1990. That means it missed a large part of USC’s fantastic running back history. The Trojans do have one winner, however. Reggie Bush won it in 2005, the year he also took home the Heisman Trophy.
The 2022 Doak Walker Award went to Bijan Robinson of Texas. It marked the fifth time a Longhorn won the award. Texas is tied with Wisconsin for the most backs to win the award.
Since Bush won in 2005, Pac-12 winners include Toby Gerhart and Bryce Love of Stanford, as well as LaMichael James of Oregon.
