Lansing Sun

Michigan State redshirt junior Nathan Carter has been named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum. The award is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding college running back.

Michigan State's Kenneth Walker III was the first Spartan to win the award in 2021.

Carter ranked eighth in the Big Ten with a career-high 798 rushing yards (66.5 ypg) last season and ranked third in the conference with 185 carries. Starting all 12 games, he also had a career-high 22 receptions for 103 yards. In his first season for the Spartans, after transferring from UConn, Carter had three 100-yard rushing games and led the team with four rushing touchdowns.

The Rochester, N.Y., native has rushed for 1,781 yards on 375 carries in his 28-game collegiate career (16 at UConn from 2021-22; 12 at MSU in 2023).

Carter has also been nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and was named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List last week for his community work during his time as a Spartan. He has been a recurring volunteer with the Ronald McDonald House of Mid-Michigan.

Carter and the Spartans will open their 2024 season on Friday, Aug. 30 against Florida Atlantic in Spartan Stadium at 7 p.m.

The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name ten semifinalists in November, and three finalists will be announced that same month by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee. The recipient will be determined through a second vote cast by the committee in December and announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12, 2024.

The award is named after SMU's three-time All-America running back Doak Walker.