UCF running back RJ Harvey is listed among the nation’s top running backs on the Doak Walker Watch list, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced on Wednesday.
Last season, Harvey played in 13 games, earning three starts. He was tabbed a second team All-AAC selection by Pro Football Network and was a third team honoree from Pro Football Focus and Phil Steele. He rushed for the seventh-most rushing yards in the conference with 796 on 118 carries, averaging 6.7 yards per attempt.
The Orlando native turned in one of his best performances of the season in UCF’s 25-21 win against No. 20 Cincinnati, rushing for 84 yards on 14 carries headlined by scoring the game-winner from 17 yards out with 48 seconds remaining in the contest. Harvey followed that outing with a career-high 151 yards on 17 touches, including a 61-yard TD that was the longest run of the season by a Knights running back.
Harvey scored five TDs and averaged 61.2 rushing yards per game.
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists in November, and three finalists, as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, will be announced in November. The committee will cast a second vote in December to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of past recipients, former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives.
The recipient of the 2023 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards.
The award is named for SMU’s three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.