All-Pac-12 RB named among nation’s best

DALLAS, Texas – University of Utah running back Tavion Thomas has been named to the 2022 Doak Walker Award Watch List, joining 72 other student-athletes from across the country as preseason candidates.

The award is presented annually to the nation's top running back, named after SMU's three-time All-American. The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists in November with three finalists being named later that month.

Thomas, who was also named to the Maxwell Award Watch List, earned All-Pac-12 first-team honors in 2021 after recording 204 carries for 1,108 yards (5.4 ypc) and 21 touchdowns. His 21 touchdowns broke the Utah single-season record while also ranking third nationally last season.

In Pac-12 games only, he led the league in touchdowns (16), also ranking second in rushing yards per game (105.6). He finished the year with five 100-yard rushing games, also scoring at least one touchdown in the final nine games he appeared in.

He cemented himself as one of the top running backs in the country with his career-high 177 rushing yards against Stanford, scoring four touchdowns to tie the school record for single-game rushing scores. It was the second-straight week he had tied the record, also finding the end zone four times against UCLA, notching 160 yards on 24 carries to earn Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week.

NEXT UP

With the Utes set to start fall camp in August, time is ticking down as Utah prepares to head to The Swamp in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday, Sept. 3 to take on the Florida Gators. The game will air at 5 p.m. MT on ESPN.