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SALT LAKE CITY — The preseason honors continue for University of Utah running back Zack Moss.
On Wednesday, the junior from Florida was named to the Doak Walker Award watchlist, which is given to college football’s best running back. Moss joins seven other running backs from the Pac-12 to be named to the 62-man list and is the first nominated from Utah since Armand Shyne was named a preseason candidate in 2017.
Joining Moss from the Pac-12 is Eno Benjamin (Arizona State), Tony Brooks-James (Oregon), Stephen Carr (USC), Myles Gaskin (Washington), Patrick Laird (Cal), Bryce Love (Stanford) and J.J. Taylor (Arizona). Love was a finalist in 2017, finishing second in voting to Penn State’s Saquon Barkley.
Love enters the season as the favorite to win the award, but 2017 finalist Jonathan Taylor from Wisconsin, and semifinalists Justice Hill (Oklahoma State) and Devin Singletary (Florida Atlantic) return to the watchlist to challenge the award.
Moss finished seventh overall in total rushing yards in the Pac-12 with 1,173 and 10 touchdowns last season. Love (2,118 yards) and Gaskin (1,380 yards) each finished the season with more rushing yards than Moss, with Laird (1,127 yards), Taylor (847 yards), Brooks-James (498 yards), Carr (363 yards) and Benjamin (142 yards) following behind him.
On Monday, Moss was also named to the 85-man Maxwell Award preseason watchlist, which is given to the college player of the year.
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists in November. And three finalists will be named on Nov. 20 after a vote by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee.
