Marshall University Athletics
Marshall’s Rasheen Ali Named to Doak Walker Award Watch List
8/9/2023 12:00:00 PM | Football
Junior RB finished 2022 as Myrtle Beach Bowl MVP after returning from injury
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall junior running back Rasheen Ali was named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List on Wednesday afternoon.
Ali was one of 75 running backs nationally to make the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation's top running back by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum.
Ali missed much of the 2022 season after suffering a leg injury, but returned for the last three games of the year – all Marshall wins.
In those final three games, Ali rushed for 273 yards and one touchdown while finishing the year with his strongest performance when he won MVP honors in Marshall's 28-14 win over UConn.
Since taking over as Marshall's primary running back at the start of the 2021 season, Ali has rushed for 1,674 yards and 24 touchdowns in 16 games – an average of over 100 yards per game in contests in which he has been a primary ball carrier.
Despite seeing limited action in 2022, Ali has been recognized by several outlets as one of the Sun Belt's top players coming into the 2023 season.
CollegeFootballNetwork named Ali as its 2023 Preseason Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Running Back of the Year last week.
Athlon, Phil Steele Publications and ProFootballFocus also had Ali as a 2023 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference First Team running back.
The Sun Belt coaches selected Ali as a 2023 Preseason All-SBC Second Team selection. Ali was one of six players from the Sun Belt Conference named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List.
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists in November.
The Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, which consists of past recipients, former All-Pro and All-American running backs and media members, will choose three finalists from that 10-person list later in November. The committee will then cast a second vote between those three finalists in December to determine the award recipient.
The 2023 Doak Walker Award recipient will be announced live on the 2023 Home Depot College Football Awards Show.
For all the latest information about Marshall Football, follow @HerdFB on Twitter and @herd_fb on Instagram.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.
---HerdZone.com---
