Ray Graham, Lyle McCombs Named To Doak Walker Award Watch List

By Mark Ennis@MarkEnnis Jul 19, 2012, 11:58am EDT

The Doak Walker Award, given annually to honor the nation's top running back, released its preseason watch list for the 2012 season today. Two Big East running back appear on this year's watch list, and neither is a surprise. Pittsburgh's Ray Graham, who led the nation in rushing before going down in the middle of the season with a knee injury, and Connecticut running back Lyle McCombs, one of the few (only?) bright spots on the Huskies' offense last year, were both named to the watch list.

Both McCombs and Graham have been near unanimous All-Big East selections by various media outlets and play in run heavy offense. The only concern with Graham is health and his recovery from a painful knee injury. You can view the full list after the jump.

Michael Alisa (Jr.), BYU

Montee Ball (Sr.), Wisconsin

Kenjon Barner (Sr.), Oregon

Le′Veon Bell (Jr.), Michigan State

Giovani Bernard (So.), North Carolina

Rex Burkhead (Sr.), Nebraska

Jesse Callier (Jr.), Washington

Benny Cunningham (Sr.), Middle Tennessee

Orleans Darkwa (Jr.), Tulane

Knile Davis (Jr.), Arkansas

Andre Ellington (Sr.), Clemson

Johnathan Franklin (Sr.), UCLA