Texas Tech RB Tahj Brooks not named a Doak Walker Award finalist

This offseason, when Texas Tech super-senior running back Tahj Brooks discussed why he came back to school instead of pursuing an NFL career, he said that one of his reasons for returning was to win the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the top running back in the country. Unfortunately, that dream will not be realized as Brooks was not named a finalist for the award this week.

The three players who are still in the running are Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, Iowa's Kaleb Johnson, and North Carolina's Omarion Hampton. All three are worthy honorees but so too is Brooks.

After Texas Tech's wild victory over Oklahoma State, a game in which Brooks amassed 198 total yards and four touchdowns, head coach Joey McGuire stated his case for Brooks to be named a finalist.

"...you know, Taj Brooks," he said. "I mean, what can you say about that guy? 198 yards tonight, total offense, and four touchdowns. I know he's a semi-finalist, but, and I know this is a one-year deal, and what he's done in one year is absolutely incredible. But you know, the way I look at it, there's no way he shouldn't be a finalist for the Doak Walker. He is the all-time leading rusher for Texas Tech. He passed up to Doak Walker winners to do that.

"Tonight, he moved into fourth all-time in the Big 12, passing up Brad Smith, I believe, and so. And I just, I just hope the people that are voting for this award make sure that he's there because he deserves it. He is just a total back and everything he does. And then everybody knows that a Red Raiders in here that cover the Red Raiders, he's as good of a person [as] there is on this planet, you know. And I'm lucky to coach him. I'm really proud of him."

While all of the points McGuire made were valid, the reality is that his first point, the one about this being a one-year award, not a career achievement award, holds the most weight in this discussion.

The simple fact is that Brooks' numbers don't quite match up to those of the three finalists. While Brooks is sixth in the nation in rushing yards this year with 1,317, that's still 158 behind Hampton, 175 behind Johnson, and a whopping 745 behind Jeanty.

Additionally, Brooks has fewer touchdowns (14) than Johnson (21) and Jeanty (27). Even in rushing yards per game, he falls short of the three finalists. He's averaging a hearty 131.7 per game on the ground but Jeanty is putting up 187.5, Johnson is putting up 135.6, and Hampton 134.1.

The reality is that it is hard for a Red Raider to win a national award. Because Tech isn't a name-brand program, the Red Raiders don't usually have the national spotlight meaning voters don't get to see players like Brooks in action on a regular basis unless they are specifically seeking out Tech's games.

For a Red Raider to win a national award, he must put up such eye-popping numbers that everyone around the nation takes notice. That's what wide receiver Michael Crabtree did in 2007 and 2008 when he won back-to-back Biletnikoff Awards.

This year, the player that has captured America's attention by posting video game numbers is Jeanty. All season, he's been challenging to break the single-season rushing record in college football set by Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders in 1988 when he galloped his way to 2,628 yards.

Jeanty is going to be the runaway winner of the Doak Walker Award as he has powered Boise State into the College Football Playoff picture and been a national story despite playing in the Mountain West Conference. As for the other finalists, they have had seasons comprable to, if not better than Brooks' season, at least when statistics are the only measure take into consideration.

Awards aren't handed out for intangibles like being a great person, a team leader, or a pillar of the community. You also don't win awards for being great at picking up blitzers on third down or doing other things that help your team win but that don't show up in the box score.

So don't be angry about Brooks being snubbed Red Raider fans. Only three players are named finalists for each of the national awards and Brooks just barely missed the cut.

While we all would love to see one of the best running backs in program history get some national attention, the reality is that it is rare for a Red Raider to be a finalist for one of the national awards. That doesn't diminish what Brooks has accomplished at Tech, though, and it doesn't change what he will forever mean to this program. All it means is that the nation didn't pay close enough attention to Texas Tech this year and that's something that is not out of the ordinary.