DALLAS – Cal senior running back Patrick Laird was named Wednesday as a preseason candidate for the Doak Walker Award given annually to the nation's top running back by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum. Laird has been recognized with a preseason honor for each of the last three days after being named to the watch list for the Maxwell Award honoring college football's top player Monday before being announced Tuesday as a nominee for the prestigious Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®.

The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award in November. Three finalists, as voted upon by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, will be announced November 20. The committee will cast a second vote beginning November 26 to determine the recipient, who will be announced live on the Home Depot College Football Awards show televised by ESPN on December 6.

For more information visit DoakWalker.com or follow @DoakWalkerAward on Twitter.

Below are notes on Laird with an extended bio available by clicking on his name.
 
Patrick Laird, RB, 6-0, 205, Sr., 2L, Arroyo Grande, CA (Mission Prep)
• A 2018 national honors candidate who is on the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award a nominee for the prestigious Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® and a preseason candidate for the Doak Walker Award
• Has also earned second-team preseason All-Pac-12 honors from Athlon and Lindy's while he is a fourth-team pick of Phil Steele
• An honorable mention All-Pac-12, Cal Bear Backers Offensive Team MVP and CoSIDA Academic All-District® selection as a 2017 junior, as well as one of 10 national semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy awarded annually to the nation's most outstanding football player who began his career as a walk-on
• Set all of his offensive career highs as a junior when he played in 11 games with eight starts and recorded team highs of 191 rushes, 1127 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on the ground, while adding 45 receptions, 322 yards receiving and one touchdown catch for a team-high 1449 all-purpose yards with his receptions the most by a Cal running back since 1988
• A two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection who picked up first-team honors as a junior after earning second-team recognition in his 2016 sophomore campaign, while also adding CoSIDA Academic All-District® recognition as a junior
• Currently hosting the Patrick Laird Summer Reading Challenge with participants who complete the challenge by August 24 receiving an opportunity to meet Laird and receive four complimentary tickets to Cal's 2018 season-opener against North Carolina at California Memorial Stadium
• Has nearly 3,500 students signed up for the challenge as of July 18 and promoted the event thru social and traditional media, as well as during visits and speaking engagements with more than 20 schools in the Bay Area and his hometown area of San Luis Obispo since the challenge was announced in April
 
The Doak Walker Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The members of the NCFAA are unveiling preseason watch lists for 17 of their 24 awards over a 12-day period from July 16-27. Following is the entire 2018 preseason watch list calendar.
 
2018 Preseason Watch List Calendar
Monday, July 16 – Bednarik Award, Maxwell Award
Tuesday, July 17 – Davey O'Brien Award
Wednesday, July 18 – Doak Walker Award
Thursday, July 19 – Biletnikoff Award
Friday, July 20 – Mackey Award, Rimington Trophy
Monday, July 23 – Thorpe Award, Butkus Award
Tuesday, July 24 – Outland Trophy, Nagurski Award
Wednesday, July 25 – Groza Award, Ray Guy Award
Thursday, July 26 – Hornung Award, Wuerffel Trophy
Friday, July 27 – Walter Camp Award
 
2018 Cal Football Coverage
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• Tickets: CalBears.com