Missouri's Cody Schrader Named a Finalist for Doak Walker Award

Missouri Tigers' Cody Schrader leads the SEC in rushing yards and has officially emerged as a top-3 FBS running back this season.

Missouri running back Cody Schrader was named a Doak Walker Award finalist on Tuesday. The honor is given to the nation's best running back.

The SEC rushing leader has moved from a list of 10 Doak Walker Award semifinalists, to three. The elite group consists of Schrader, Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon and North Carolina's Omarion Hampton.

Schrader may not have the most rushing yards or touchdowns among the finalists, but he has helped lead Missouri to its best record since 2014, and the Tigers' No. 9 rank in the AP Poll is significantly higher than Oklahoma State (19) and UNC (just outside of top 25).

Schrader's emergence into the final round somewhat stems from his performance against Arkansas this past Saturday, as he took home the SEC's Co-Offensive Player of the Week award after posting a career high of 217 rushing yards and added a touchdown. That said, he wasn't used as often in the second half due to the large margin, but he tallied 192 of those yards by halftime. Schrader's eight yards per carry were the highest of his Missouri career.

This isn't the first time that the former semifinalist has been mentioned for the esteemed award, as he was named the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week earlier in the month for his stellar performance against Tennessee. Schrader rushed for 205 yards and had 116 receiving yards in a 36-7 home thumping of the Volunteers.

Prior to that historic showing, no Southeastern Conference player had ever recorded a 200-yard rushing and 100-yard receiving game. The graduate student became the 10th player in Division I FBS history to accomplish that feat, and is the third player to do it against an AP-ranked opponent.

In addition to making the final round for the most prestigious award for his position, Schrader was also named a finalist two weeks ago for the Burlsworth Trophy. The award honors the nation's most outstanding former walk-on.

Schrader walked onto the Missouri Tigers football team after transferring from Truman State University in 2021. He collected 17 school records at Truman State that are still held by him today.

Schrader started throughout his first year at Missouri last season, but like the rest of the team, he has truly emerged in 2023.

Three Missouri Players Earn SEC Honors Against Arkansas