Snell, from Westerville, Ohio, earned a spot on Athlon's 2017 preseason Southeastern Conference third-team offense after a stellar freshman season. He set six UK freshman records, including most rushing touchdowns in a game (4), most rushing yards by a freshman (1,091), most rushing touchdowns by a freshman (13), most total touchdowns by a freshman (13), most 100-yard rushing games (5) and most rushing yards by a freshman in a single game (192). He was named a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, ESPN and 247Sports.
The award is named for SMU's three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. It honors the nation's top back but also requires all candidates be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classifications.
The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name ten semifinalists on Nov. 15, with three finalists, as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, announced on Nov. 20. The winner will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 7 on ESPN.
