Iowa State’s Hansen, Sama Named to 2025 Doak Walker Watch List
Iowa State running backs Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III were named Tuesday to the 2025 Doak Walker Award watch list, which honors the nation’s top college running back each year.
The Cyclones are one of five Big 12 programs with two players on the preseason list.
Hansen, a Lakeville South (Minn.) alum, led ISU last season with 752 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, both team highs. His 13 scores ranked fifth in the Big 12 and 28th nationally. Hansen averaged 5.0 yards per carry.
He also caught 13 passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Hansen posted five games with multiple rushing touchdowns, including a three-score effort in the Pop-Tarts Bowl win over No. 15 Miami. He was the first Cyclone since Breece Hall in 2021 to rush for at least 90 yards in three straight games.
Sama, a Southeast Polk (Iowa) alum, started six games last season and carried 124 times for 587 yards. He’s averaged 5.8 yards per carry in his career and has totaled 1,201 rushing yards across his first two seasons.
Known for his big-play potential, Sama posted Iowa State’s longest play from scrimmage in 2024—a 77-yard touchdown run at Houston. Six of his eight career rushing touchdowns have come on runs of 50 yards or longer.
Iowa State opens the 2025 season Aug. 23 against Kansas State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland.
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