July 18, 2013
DALLAS - San Diego State's Adam Muema has been named a preseason candidate for the 2013 Doak Walker Award, presented annually to the nation's top running back. The Aztec junior is one of 63 nominees on the preseason list and just one of two representatives from the Mountain West.
With his candidacy, Muema earned his fourth preseason honor after landing on the Maxwell Award watch list July 8. He also received first-team recognition on both Athlon Sports' and Phil Steele's preseason all-MW teams last month.
During the 2012 campaign, Muema rushed 1,458 yards and 16 touchdowns on 237 carries, which marked the third-highest yardage total ever by an SDSU sophomore behind Ronnie Hillman and Marshall Faulk. In addition, the Covina, Calif., native finished 17th in the nation last year with 112.2 rushing yards per game, which ranked third among all sophomores behind Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey and Giovani Bernard of North Carolina.
Muema's banner 2012 season also produced seven 100-yard performances, including a pair of 200-yard efforts against San Jose State and at Wyoming. He needs just 289 yards to become the 12th player in Aztec history with 2,000 yards and a 1,100 campaign in 2013 will put him among SDSU's top five.
Now in its 24th year, the award is named for Southern Methodist University'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.
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name the semifinalists on Nov. 14, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast votes to determine the finalists, who will be announced on Nov. 25. The committee will cast a second vote beginning on Dec. 2 to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives.
The recipient of the 2013 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards, scheduled for Dec. 12 on ESPN. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held in Dallas in February of 2014.
Aztecs on 2013 National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) Preseason Watch Lists
Nat Berhe
*Jim Thorpe Award (Top Defensive Back)
Jake Fely
*Bednarik Award (Defensive Player of the Year)
*Rotary Lombardi Award (Top Lineman)
Adam Muema
*Maxwell Award (Player of the Year)
*Doak Walker Award (Top Running Back)