LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas running backs Dylan Edwards and Yasin Willis were named preseason candidates for the Doak Walker Award, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced on Tuesday. The Doak Walker Award is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding running back.
Edwards and Willis are among 62 selections on the Doak Walker Award preseason list, while Kansas is one of six teams with multiple players selected, along with Texas, Penn State, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Indiana.
Edwards, a redshirt junior from Derby, Kansas, has played in 28 career games with 184 carries for 1,072 yards and eight touchdowns. Edwards played in four games in 2025 while at Kansas State, carrying 34 times for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Edwards was named to the Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List in 2025, alongside the Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List and the Paul Hornung Award Preseason Watch List.
Willis, a junior from Newark, N.J., appeared in nine games while at Syracuse in 2025, carrying 129 times for 558 yards and four touchdowns. Willis has played in 20 career games with 688 career yards and five career touchdowns.The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name ten semifinalists in November, and three finalists, as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, will also 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 2026 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on December 10, 2026. The award is named for SMU's three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. Each Tuesday of this season, The PwC SMU Athletic Forum will once again announce a Doak Walker National Running Back of the week.