Tulsa running backs Shamari Brooks and Corey Taylor were named to the Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List today by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum. TU is one of eight teams to have two running backs on the list.

“They’re a good one-two punch,” Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery told Inside Tulsa Sports in May. “They play off of each other extremely well. They are both humble, and they’re not seeking all the reps or all the glory. They do a good job of working well together.”

Together, the two combined for 1,813 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns in their sophomore seasons in 2018. Brooks led the way with 967 yards and seven touchdowns at 4.2 yards per carry in 11 games, while Taylor added 846 yards and 11 touchdowns at 4.8 yards per carry.

“They are two different styles of runners,” Montgomery said. “Shamari is the real electric kind of quick cut, burst, accelerate. He can run over you, can run around you. He’s a guy that’s pretty electric with the ball in his hands. Got great vision and understands it.

“Corey is a little bit quieter than Shamari. He is a real dense runner. When people hit him, they feel his power. Probably pound for pound one of the strongest guys we have in this program. He’s got good speed, runs downhill, can get outside. Both of them do a good job on pass protection.”

The Doak Walker Award is named for SMUs three-time All-America running back Doak Walker and is annually presented to the nation's top college running back. For more on Tulsa’s running backs, check out what Montgomery had to say about Brooks, Taylor, TK Wilkerson and Chris Lovick in our Summer Position Analysis.

(ITS Senior Writer Larry Lewis contributed to this report.)