DALLAS – Fifth-year running back Wayne Knight of the UCLA football team was named a 2026 Doak Walker Award Candidate, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced Tuesday, Aug. 18. The award is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding college football running back.

Knight, one of 62 FBS running backs named to the preseason candidate list, looks to become the Bruins’ first-ever winner of the Doak Walker Award. Former UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin was the Bruins’ last finalist for the award in 2012. 

A native of Smyrna, Del., Knight is in his first season at UCLA after transferring from James Madison following a standout four-year career with the Dukes. Knight broke out as a senior at JMU in 2025, as he was named a Second Team All-American and Hornung Award Finalist after accruing a JMU single-season record 2,039 all-purpose yards. That included 1,373 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, helping JMU to a Sun Belt Championship and a berth into the College Football Playoff.

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 ESPN's College Football Awards show on Dec. 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.

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