DALLAS – University of South Alabama running back Tra Minter is a preseason candidate for the 2019 Doak Walker Award — annually presented to the nation's top college running back — as announced by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum on Wednesday.
It's the second time this month the rising senior from Ellaville, Ga., has been recognized after The Sporting News named him preseason second-team All-America as an all-purpose back on July 3.
Minter led the Jaguars and was among the top 10 in the Sun Belt Conference last fall after rushing for 801 yards and six touchdowns on 183 attempts, and he also caught 23 passes for another 201 yards out of the backfield. He finished as the squad's top rusher in each of the last five outings of the year — accomplishing the feat on nine occasions overall — highlighted by a school-record 203 yards in a season-ending win over Coastal Carolina.
In addition to being named the league's Offensive Player of the Week for that effort, Minter was chosen the Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week in October after the Jags defeated Alabama State. He ended the year first in the conference and eighth in the country with an average of 150.25 all-purpose yards per game on the way to being selected second-team all-Sun Belt as both a return specialist and all-purpose back.
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists in November, and three finalists — as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee — will be announced on Nov. 20. The committee will cast a second vote beginning Dec. 2 to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of past recipients, former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives.
The recipient of the 2019 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 12 on ESPN.
The award, which will name its 30th recipient in 2019, is named for SMU's three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. It 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.
South will face Nebraska at 11 a.m. (CDT) on Saturday, Aug. 31, in Lincoln in the 2019 season opener, with ESPN set to broadcast the game nationally.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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