DALLAS, Texas – Cal senior Tre Watson was named Thursday by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum as a preseason candidate for the Doak Walker Award. The honor is presented annually to the nation's top college running back for the second consecutive season and is also on the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award given to the most versatile player in college football.

Watson is one of 10 Cal players currently on a preseason watch list heading into the 2017 season with the others Matt Anderson (Lou Groza Collegiate Place-kicker Award), Steven Coutts (Ray Guy Award), Raymond Davison (Allstate Good Works Team® Nominee, Wuerffel Trophy), Devante Downs (Butkus Award), Ray Hudson (John Mackey Award), James Looney (Bronko Nagurski Trophy), Addison Ooms (Rimington Trophy), Demetris Robertson (Biletnikoff Award) and Cameron Saffle (Lott IMPACT Trophy).

Watson has played in 35 career games with six starts over his first three seasons at Cal from 2014-16 and heads into his final collegiate campaign in 2017 as the Golden Bears' active career leader in all-purpose yards (2316), rushing yards (1307), kick return yards (657), total offense (1307) and total touchdowns (13). Watson is also coming off the strongest campaign of his career as a 2016 junior when he posted career highs in every all-purpose, rushing and receiving category when he had 1,156 all-purpose yards, rushing for 709 yards and four touchdowns on 143 carries while adding 21 receptions for 241 yards and four touchdown grabs. He also had 12 kick returns for 206 yards.

The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name ten semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award on November 15. 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 at the Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show televised by ESPNU on December 7, 2017. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet is scheduled for February 16, 2018 in Dallas.

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

The Doak Walker Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 23 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a 12-day period this month from July 10-21. Sixteen of the association's 23 awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates.