BYU running back LJ Martin is back on the Doak Walker Award radar, earning preseason candidate status for the third year in a row.
The annual honor from the PwC SMU Athletic Forum goes to college football’s top running back, and Martin has already built a résumé that fits the bill. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior from El Paso, Texas, piled up 1,305 rushing yards in 2025, good for No. 11 nationally.
He also finished No. 12 in average yards per game at 100.38 and No. 13 in all-purpose yards per game at 120.0. That 1,305-yard season also ranked as the seventh-best single-season rushing total in BYU history.
Martin’s production earned him major postseason recognition after the 2025 season. He was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-Big 12 running back.
He also picked up second-team All-America honors from Pro Football Network and was a semifinalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. On top of that, he was recognized All-Big 12 by Pro Football Network, Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions.
The awards momentum has kept rolling into 2026. Martin was recently chosen as the Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and earned preseason All-America honors from Athlon Sports and Phil Steele. He’s also a candidate for the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Player of Year Award, and he landed on preseason All-Big 12 teams from Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, Pro Football Network and Sports Info Solutions.
The Doak Walker Award, named for SMU’s three-time All-America running back Doak Walker, has been handed out since 1990. BYU’s Luke Staley, a consensus All-American, won it in 2001.
The process will tighten as the season goes on. Each Tuesday, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum will announce a Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week.
Then in November, the Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists before the National Selection Committee trims the field to three finalists later that month. The recipient of the 2024 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec.
In Other News...
BYU May Have Found A Crucial Answer On The Offensive Line
Preseason camp has started to sharpen one of BYUs biggest questions up front, and Paki Finau has moved to the center of it. The Washington transfer has mostly locked down the starting job at left tackle, giving the Cougars a possible answer on the edge as they work through the final stages of camp. Kalani Sitake has also highlighted Finaus value beyond one spot, pointing to a versatility that makes him useful wherever BYU needs help along the offensive line.
Finaus path to Provo adds another layer to why this development matters. He arrived with a clear personal purpose, and his move has already put him in position to become a key piece for a line that needs stability and flexibility. For BYU, the appeal is obvious: a player who can handle multiple roles and looks ready to settle one of the most important positions on the field. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Got An Early National Sign About Its Offense
The preseason Associated Press All-America team offered an early national snapshot of where college footballs star power is headed, and BYU showed up in a way that should matter to its offense. Texas led all schools with four first-team selections, the Southeastern Conference landed 14 of the 27 first-team spots, and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was among the headline names, but the Cougars got their own mention on the second team. For a program looking to keep building on offensive momentum, that kind of recognition is the sort of nod that suggests people outside Provo are paying attention.
LJ Martins place on the second team gives BYU a little more visibility entering the season, especially for a run game that will need to help define the offenses ceiling. The Cougars also had a familiar local name surface on the defensive side, with former Lone Peak standout John Henry Daley earning second-team honors after his transfer path took him away from BYU and to Michigan. Both selections add to the national conversation around players with Utah ties, even if the bigger story in Provo is still how far the offense can go once the games start for real. [Read more 🡒]