Joel Klatt reveals his midseason top five players for Doak Walker Award

The running back position saw a resurgence last season when Boise State‘s Ashton Jeanty put up historic numbers at the position. And while there hasn’t been anyone quite that dominant through the first half of the season, there are a ton of players vying for this year’s Doak Walker Award, given annually to the top running back.

FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt did his best to pick the best of the best. On his midseason awards lists, he included his top five picks for the award, as well as the winner.

So which running backs made the cut? There was representation across the board, but Klatt picked three of the five from Big Ten programs. Let’s check out his picks below.

WINNER: Ahmad Hardy, Missouri

2025 STATS: 115 carries for 782 yards, 9 TDs
Hardy had a streak of 100-yard games going to start the season, reaching five straight before falling off last weekend against Alabama. He has scored three touchdowns in a game twice this season and his next one will put him into double digits. After waffling a bit, Klatt picked him to win the Doak Walker Award.

Joel Klatt: “Ahmad Hardy at Missouri, been tremendous. Hardy leads the Power Four in rushing in his first season at Missouri. He’s got five straight 100-yard games before that ‘Bama game. He was not great against ‘Bama, probably prevents me from picking him here, but maybe I will. I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see. This is the type of guy, though, that allows them to be balanced with Beau Pribula.”

Justice Haynes, Michigan

2025 STATS: 95 carries for 705 yards, 8 TDs
Like Hardy, Haynes had a streak of five straight games with at least 100 yards rushing to open the season. Almost exactly like Hardy, he was held to about 50 yards in his most recent outing. Both were also kept out of the end zone for the first time all year last weekend.

Joel Klatt: “Justice Haynes at Michigan has been tremendous. I know he got banged up against USC, but he’s a big-play threat this year for Michigan. He’s got five runs of over 40 yards, so Justice Haynes has been clearly one of the five best backs in college football.”

Waymond Jordan, USC

2025 STATS: 88 carries for 576 yards, 5 TDs
Jordan doesn’t have some of the sheer statistical production of the previous two backs on this list. And he’s unlikely to make any postseason lists for the Doak Walker Award now that the talented running back has been shelved for several weeks due to injury. Still, Klatt included him on the midseason Doak Walker Award watch list.

Joel Klatt: “Jordan’s averaging over 100 per game. He got hurt, obviously, against Michigan, but he was on his way to another 100. And really that disrupted what they needed to do against USC (sic). Unfortunately he’s going to be out four to six weeks. He’s got a tightrope surgery on that ankle. So hopefully he can get healthy and get back in the lineup for Michigan (sic). They’ll certainly miss him this week when they take on Washington (sic).”

Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

2025 STATS: 100 carries for 530 yards, 8 TDs | 14 catches for 160 yards, 3 TD
The first running back on the list with significant contributions in the passing game, Love has proven he’s an all-around threat for the Fighting Irish. He’s also gotten Notre Dame back into playoff contention after a shaky 0-2 start. So he’ll have some stages to really showcase himself for the award going forward.

Joel Klatt: “Jeremiyah Love for Notre Dame has got to get included in these lists, because after a slow start against Miami he’s now at 115 scrimmage yards per game. He’s got 11 total touchdowns over his last five. He’s a dominant player. And when they lean into that balance, he makes them better and he makes CJ Carr better, their quarterback, who’s been tremendous as a freshman, probably one of the best freshman in the country. So Love is in the top five.”

Jonah Coleman, Washington

2025 STATS: 96 carries for 518 yards, 11 TDs | 20 catches for 243 yards, 1 TD
Like Love, Coleman has been a big factor catching passes out of the backfield. He’s had both a 100-yard receiving game and an eight-catch game already this year. That makes him tougher to get a handle on and makes the Washington offense much more multiple. It also makes him a prime Doak Walker Award candidate.

Joel Klatt: “Again, no one’s paying attention to Washington, but Jonah Coleman at Washington has been outstanding. He’s fifth in the country in scrimmage yards. He leads the FBS in touchdowns with 12, so he’s got a nose for the goal line. And when you watch him play, he is electric. I really love what Jonah Coleman does, and he’s been doing it behind an offensive line that’s been banged up for the most part. Lost their really good left tackle, they’ll be without that left tackle for this weekend’s game against Michigan. So Coleman is in the top five.”