BYU RB Lopini Katoa Named To 2020 Doak Walker Award Watch List
Jul 15, 2020, 12:46 PM | Updated: Jul 20, 2020, 2:34 am
Courtesy of BYU Photo
PROVO, Utah – BYU running back Lopini Katoa has been named a preseason candidate for the Doak Walker Award. The Doak Walker Award is given annually to college football’s top running back.
#BYU RB Lopini Katoa has been named to Doak Walker Award Watch List. Katoa has rushed for 781 yards in the first two years of career with the Cougars.#BYUFootball @kslsports
📷: Deseret News pic.twitter.com/DxKBU9Nrnx
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) July 15, 2020
This is the second consecutive year that Katoa has been named a player to watch on the Doak Walker Award’s preseason watch list. Last season, Katoa rushed for 358 yards and four touchdowns. The versatile Katoa also was also a receiving threat out of BYU’s backfield in 2019. Katoa had 288 receiving yards on 24 receptions and one touchdown last season.
Heading into 2020, Katoa is projected to be BYU’s starting running back. During BYU’s six spring practices last March, Katoa saw the majority of the first-team reps at running back.
During his career, Katoa has compiled 781 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns which leads all BYU rushers the past two seasons.
BYU boasts one previous Doak Walker Award winner in Luke Staley who earned the victory in 2001.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
