COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri sophomore running back Damarea Crockett (Little Rock, Ark.) has been named to the 2017 Doak Walker Award Watch List. The Doak Walker Award is administered by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum, and goes annually to the nation’s top collegiate running back.

Crockett burst onto the scene in 2016 as one of the nation’s top rookie tailbacks. He set Mizzou freshman rushing records with 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns, including a 225-yard outing at Tennessee, which also broke a school single-game freshman rushing mark. He finished the regular season ranked sixth in the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards per game (105.8), which was tops among league freshmen prior to bowl games. His per-game average of 96.5 yards for the season was most in the nation through the regular season among all freshmen. This summer, Crockett represented Mizzou in a leadership fashion, as he was selected by Head Coach Barry Odom to attend SEC summer meetings as the team’s Football Leadership Council member.

This is the second pre-season award watch list that includes Crockett, adding to his prior Maxwell Award list mention. Three other Mizzou standouts have previously been named to five different watch lists heading into the season, including senior defensive end Marcell Frazier (Portland, Ore.), who is on the Bednarik and Nagurski watch lists, and senior wide receiver J’Mon Moore (Missouri City, Texas), who is on the Biletnikoff Award watch list, while junior punter Corey Fatony (Franklin, Tenn.) has made the Ray Guy and Wuerffel Trophy watch lists.

The Tiger program is winding down summer school and off-season workouts, and is preparing for the start of fall camp, which begins Aug. 1 in Columbia. Mizzou opens its 2017 season on Sept. 2 against Missouri State. Kickoff time for that contest has not yet been finalized.

— Mizzou Athletics —