Three Notre Dame Running Backs Named To The Doak Walker Award Watch List originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Doak Walker Award recognizes college football’s most outstanding running back every season. Today, the award dropped it’s watch list for the 2025 season and three Notre Dame backs found themselves on this list: junior Jeremiyah Love, redshirt junior Jadarian Price and sophomore Aneyas Williams. The Irish are one of only two programs who have three running backs listed in the Doak Walker Award Watch List. USC is the only other program with three players listed.
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Last season, this trio combined for 317 carries for 2,090 yards, 26 rushing touchdowns, 409 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. Their performances played a huge role in Notre Dame’s historic playoff run. Love burst onto the scene last year and has continued to rack up the preseason accolades as we get closer to August 31. The St. Louis native is one of the most explosive running backs in college football and recorded touchdown runs last season of 64, 68, 76 and a 98 yard touchdown to open up the College Football Playoffs.
Price was as effective of a No. 2 running back that you’ll find in the country. He tallied a 75 yard touchdown run against Purdue to end the first half, rushed for over 100 yards in one half against rival USC and scored their first offensive touchdown of the season against Texas A&M. He returns to South Bend for what could be his final season to solidify what many believe to be the best one-two punch back field combination in the country.
Williams took over as the primary third down running back midway through the regular season and didn’t look back. He had a 58 yard touchdown run against Army in the Shamrock Series and was one of the key players who sparked Notre Dame’s offense to begin the second half in the Orange Bowl; he hauled in a 36 yard sluggo route and followed that up with a 15 yard scamper to put them in scoring position.
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Despite their run of excellent running back play over the past several seasons, the Doak Walker Award has not returned to South Bend since Reggie Brooks won the award back in 1992. Since then, a Notre Dame running back has not won the award, but having three players on the watch list isn’t a bad start especially when you consider Gi’Bran Payne, Kedren Young and Nolan James Jr. round out this talented group.
Several Notre Dame opponents have running backs listed on this watch list that include:
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Alex Broome, Boston College
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Jordan McDonald, Boston College
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Braylen Russell, Arkansas
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Hollywood Smothers, NC State
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
