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UTEP Football: Aaron Jones announced as Doak Walker Award Semifinalist

By Alex Nicolas

UTEP running back Aaron Jones was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker award which recognizes the nation's top running back.

Jones will certainly go down as UTEP’s greatest running back of all time after the junior became UTEP’s all-time leading rusher last week. During the second quarter last Saturday, Jones ran for a nine-yard dash that pushed him ahead of John Harvey [3,576 yards] who previously held the no. 1 spot for 28 years.

He currently leads Conference USA with a career-high 1,397 rushing yards, while his 139.7 yards per contest is also a league best. Jones’s 2016 total is currently the program’s third-best single-season output.

The El Paso native has 13 rushing touchdowns, and two receiving touchdowns and is also the fourth-leading rusher in the FBS with 1,397 yards, ranking behind Wyoming’s Brian Hill [1,417 yards], Texas’ D’Onta Foreman [1,613 yards] and the national leader San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey [1,779 yards].

To determine the 2016 finalists, members of the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast their votes after this week’s games. Three finalists for the award will be named Tuesday, November 22. The Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast a second vote to select the 2016 award recipient. The 2016 Doak Walker Award recipient will be announced live onThe Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 8 on ESPN.

The Award is named after three-time SMU All-America running back and 1948 Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker. Walker, who also punted, returned kicks and kicked extra points, led the Mustangs to two Southwest Conference Championships. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions and led the league in scoring his rookie year. During his six years with the Lions, he led the team to two NFL championships and was chosen All-Pro four times. Walker is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

  • Saquon Barkley (So.) Penn State
  • Dalvin Cook (Jr.) Florida State
  • D’Onta Foreman (Jr.) Texas
  • Leonard Fournette (Jr.) LSU
  • Brian Hill (Jr.) Wyoming
  • Aaron Jones (Jr.) UTEP
  • Christian McCaffrey (Jr.) Stanford
  • Jeremy McNichols (Jr.) Boise State
  • Kamryn Pettway (So.) Auburn

Donnel Pumphrey (Sr.) San Diego State