Zack Moss (finally) named to Doak Walker Award preseason watchlist


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SALT LAKE CITY — For the second straight season, Utah’s Zack Moss has been named to the Doak Walker Award preseason watchlist. It just took nearly 24 hours after the original list was released for him to eventually be added Thursday.

The honor, which is given to college football’s “premier” running back by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum, is the second such watchlist for the 2019 season Moss has been added to this season. On Monday, Moss was also named to the 80-man Maxwell Award watchlist for the college Player of the Year.

Moss enters his senior season needing just 569 yards to break Utah’s all-time career rushing record and mark his spot in program history. The Florida native currently has 2,651 career rushing yards and 23 career rushing touchdowns in three seasons with Utah. Moss averaged 6.1 yards per carry last season before suffering a season-ending leg injury.

In a surprise move earlier this year, Moss decided to return to school for his senior season despite getting second round interest in the 2019 NFL draft. While his injury played a part in his decision to return, his desire to graduate with his recruiting class and set records at Utah was the driving force for his return.

“When I came here, my goal was to be the best running back of all time and be one of the best players to ever walk through this university,” Moss told KSL.com shortly after his decision to return to Utah. “And now sitting here, having the opportunity to do that, it’s something I couldn’t pass up on, no matter what.”

The senior expects to have a great season under new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig as the team’s No. 1 option on offense.

“He knows the type of player that I am and knows what I can generate. And if I thought I would have a bad year or something like that — that never crept into my mind,” Moss told KSL.com after Ludwig was hired. “I feel like it’s gonna be a good thing … to get into that offense and see the scheme and finally have a guy that actually wants to play through me so we can get to where we really need to be at.

“I think it’s going to be a good thing.”

Moss is one of 10 athletes from the Pac-12 and one of 73 nationally included in the preseason honor. Ten athletes will be named semifinalists on Nov. 14, with three finalists named days later on Nov. 20. The winner will be presented the award on Thursday, Dec. 12, on The Home Depot College Football Awards show on ESPN.

Moss will represent Utah as one of two players from the team at next week’s Pac-12 Media Day on July 24 as the conference gears up for the upcoming football season. The Utes will open up fall camp on Wednesday, July 31, just short of a month before the program’s season opener on the road against in-state rival BYU on Aug. 29.

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Josh is the Sports Director for KSL.com and beat writer covering University of Utah athletics — primarily football, men’s and women's basketball and gymnastics. He is also an Associated Press Top 25 voter for college football.

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