Oregon Running Back Byron Cardwell Named to Doak Walker Watch List

Cardwell is one of ten Pac-12 running backs in the conversation for the nation's premier ballcarrier.

Max Torres | Jul 20, 2022

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Oregon Ducks

Oregon Ducks running back Byron Cardwell has been named to the preseason Doak Walker Award watch list.

The award, named after Southern Methodist running back and Hiesman Trophy winner Doak Walker, is presented annually to the best running back in college football.

As a true freshman in 2021, Cardwell carried the ball 61 times for 417 total rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. The Ducks turned to Cardwell for a larger role in October of last year after CJ Verdell suffered a season-ending lower leg injury against the Stanford Cardinal.

Cardwell played in all 14 games in 2021 and led all Pac-12 backs in yards per carry at 6.84 yards. The young ballcarrier displayed a strong blend of patience, vision and explosiveness out of the backfield, ripping off eight runs of 20 or more yards--a mark that tied for fourth in the conference.

Looking at Oregon's history with the award, the Ducks have had one award winner in program history in LaMichael James, who took home the hardware in 2010 after he rushed for 1,731 yards and 21 touchdowns (per Sports-Reference). He also went to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist along with Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore.

Royce Freeman was the last Duck to be named a semifinalist for the award in 2017, his final season in Eugene when he rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and averaged six yards per carry.

Other notable Pac-12 running backs that landed on the list Wednesday include USC's Travis Dye (Oregon transfer), UCLA's Zach Charbonnet, Colorado's Alex Fontenot and Utah's Tavion Thomas.

Oregon's running back room has undergone a significant transformation this offseason following Dye and Verdell's departures. New Running Backs Coach Carlos Locklyn added Noah Whittington (Western Kentucky), Mar'Keise Irving (Minnesota) and Jordan James (2022 four-star running back) to the roster as well as walk-ons Preston Alford and Ellis Bynum ahead of the 2022 season.

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Published Jul 20, 2022

MAX TORRES

Max Torres is the publisher and lead editor of Ducks Digest. He's covered the Oregon football and recruiting beats for four years. He's based out of Long Beach, CA and travels around Southern California and the country covering top high school football prospects.