University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Harden Named Candidate for Doak Walker Award
August 06, 2024 | Football
UCLA's T.J. Harden was named by The PwC SMU Athletic Forum on Tuesday as a preseason candidate for the 2024 Doak Walker Award. The Forum annually presents the award to the nation's top college running back.
Harden, who is entering his junior season, appeared in all 13 games for UCLA last year and compiled 827 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 156 carries. He ranked top-10 in the Pac-12 Conference in both yards per carry (5.3, fifth) and rushing average per game (63.6, tenth). Standout performances from his 2023 campaign included a season-high 142 yards and a touchdown against USC on Nov. 18, and a 105-yard, two-score performance against Boise State in the LA Bowl on Dec. 16. The Los Angeles native added 19 catches for 142 receiving yards and one touchdown. For his career, Harden has totaled 1,152 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdown on 200 carries over 19 games.
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 2024 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on December 12, 2024.
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.
The Bruins will begin the 2024 season on Aug. 31, traveling to Honolulu to take on Hawai'i. CBS will televise the game, which is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. PT start. UCLA then hosts Indiana at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 14 in the team's home opener and first conference game as members of the Big Ten Conference. ย
