Texas Tech senior running back Tahj Brooks was named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award for a second-consecutive season as he is one of only two running backs in the country to rush for at least 100 yards in every game he has played this season.
Brooks was one of 10 running backs from across the country to be recognized as a semifinalist and one of four from the Big 12 Conference. He was joined by the likes of DJ Giddens of Kansas State, Omarion Hampton of North Carolina, RJ Harvey of UCF, Makhi Hughes of Tulane, Ashton Jeanty of Boise State, Kaleb Johnson of Iowa, Dylan Sampson of Tennessee, Cam Skattebo of Arizona State and Brashard Smith of SMU.
Brooks enters this weekend's trip to Oklahoma State as Texas Tech's all-time career leading rusher after his 137 yards against Colorado pushed him past Byron Hanspard, the 1996 Doak Walker Award winner. Brooks now has 4,236 rushing yards over his career as he also ranks fifth in Big 12 history, only 54 yards shy of passing former Missouri quarterback Brad Smith (2002-05) for fourth all-time in the conference record book.
Brooks could potentially move up further in both the Texas Tech and Big 12 record books over the next two weeks as his next 100-yard outing will mark the 22nd of his career, which would, again, snap Hanspard's school record and move him into a tie for fourth all-time in conference history alongside Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson. He would also match Hanspard and James Gray's single-season record with his 10th different 100-yard performance of the year.
The Red Raiders have relied heavily on the toughness of Brooks, who is the only power conference rusher to hit the 100-yard mark in every game he's played this season. Brooks, who missed the Washington State trip early in the season due to injury, is currently sixth in the FBS with 131.6 rushing yards per game and eighth overall with 1,184 total rushing yards despite having one less game played. He also did not play in the second half of the Sept. 14 rout of North Texas after Texas Tech led 52-7 at halftime with Brooks already at 109 rushing yards.
Brooks is often referred to as the "safety blanket" for a Texas Tech offense that currently leads the Big 12 at 35.5 points per game. This is the second-straight season Brooks has rushed for at least 1,000 yards, becoming only the fifth Red Raider in program history to do so, joining a list that includes two former Doak Walker Award winners in not only Hanspard but also Byron "Bam" Morris in 1993.
Over that two-year span, Brooks leads all Big 12 rushers at 123.7 yards per game as he's totaled 2,722 yards, the fourth-highest total in the FBS. He's created a large portion of that yardage on his own with 147 forced missed tackles credited to him by Pro Football Focus since 2023 alone. Additionally, he's been recognized as one of college football's top pass protection running backs, especially in Texas Tech's wide-open spread scheme, as he's only allowed three sacks in 272 opportunities over his collegiate career.
The Doak Walker Award will name three finalists on Nov. 26 with the winner unveiled live on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12. The formal presentation of the award will take place at the annual banquet scheduled for Jan. 31 in Dallas.
