Kendrick Raphael landed on the Doak Walker Award preseason watch list after a breakout season at Cal, adding another weapon to SMU's offense.
Last November, Kendrick Raphael gashed SMU for 111 yards and a touchdown, helping Cal pull off an upset that ended the Mustangs' ACC Championship hopes.
This fall, he'll be doing that damage in an SMU uniform. On Monday, the senior running back was named to the Doak Walker Award preseason watch list, and the honor, fittingly attached to the award named after an SMU legend, signals how much firepower the transfer brings to Dallas.
In 2025, playing his junior season at Cal, Raphael put together a career year. He rushed for 943 yards and finished third in the ACC with 13 rushing touchdowns and 14 total touchdowns, numbers that ranked among the best in the conference.
He led the ACC and ranked 11th nationally with 232 carries, finished fifth in the league in rushing yards and racked up 1,084 all-purpose yards while adding 34 catches out of the backfield.
His 13 rushing scores were tied for ninth on Cal's all-time single-season list, earning him All-ACC honorable mention honors.
What makes his production even more notable is that he did it for a Cal offense that finished last in the ACC and 133rd out of 134 FBS teams in rushing.
Raphael was the entire ground game for the Bears, and he still put up big numbers behind a struggling unit.
Now he steps into a far better situation, and there's a certain symmetry to it. The player who helped keep SMU out of Charlotte last season is now the one the Mustangs are counting on to help get them back there.
The situation he's walking into should elevate his game. At SMU, Raphael will run behind a veteran offensive line widely regarded as one of the best in the ACC.
After spending his junior year creating yards largely on his own, he'll now have the benefit of running lanes opened by an experienced, physical front. For a back with his vision and burst, that combination could produce a monster season.
The fit works on both sides. SMU needed a proven feature back to anchor its rushing attack, and Raphael needed a stronger supporting cast to showcase what he can do.
Pair a 1,000-yard-caliber runner with an experienced line and a Mustangs offense that returns significant firepower, and the ceiling is high.
The path to the award itself is a long one. The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name 10 semifinalists in November, followed by three finalists voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee.
A second vote in December will determine the winner. Raphael has plenty of competition on a loaded watch list, but his inclusion validates the kind of season he is capable of producing.
