Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Football: Omarion Hampton Named Doak Walker Award Finalist

By Bryce Wolaver

Oct 7, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) hands off the football to running back Omarion Hampton (28) during the first half of the game against the Syracuse Orange at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 7, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) hands off the football to running back Omarion Hampton (28) during the first half of the game against the Syracuse Orange at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The UNC football program’s star running back was named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, an award given to the best running back in college football. 

Omarion Hampton is looking to add some hardware after a career year in 2023.

On Tuesday, Hampton was named one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award, presented annually to the nation’s top running back. He is joined by Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State) and Cody Shrader (Missouri) as the other finalists.

The sophomore rushed for 1,442 yards this season, the fourth most in college football. The UNC football program’s star running back carried the ball 234 times with an average of 6.2 yards per carry.

Hampton improved his rushing yards by nearly 1,000 from his freshmen year and had 146 more carries. He developed into the premiere back for North Carolina, as he made it a habit of finding the end zone. The sophomore also factored in as a pass catcher, recording 215 receiving yards, up from just 40 total receiving yards during his freshman season.

Gordon II has just over 100 more rushing yards than Hampton, mainly because he had 11 more carries. Their average yards per carry are right around six yards a pop, so this will be a tight race. Missouri running back Cody Shrader also averaged six yards per carry, but he wasn’t utilized in the passing game quite like Hampton and Gordon II were.

Hampton’s season is even more impressive when you consider the offensive scheme he was a part of. Missouri and Oklahoma State are both run-heavy offenses, whereas North Carolina liked to air it out with Drake Maye. Hampton also had to compete with fifth year senior British Brooks for carries, where Gordon II and Shrader were both the clear-cut No. 1 options on their team, so they had the ball in their hands most of the time.

Omarion Hampton is looking to become the first Tar Heel to win the Doak Walker Award. The award was established in 1990 and it honors former SMU Mustang running back Doak Walker, who played at SMU from 1945-49. Walker also played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions from 1950-55.

Next. UNC Football tabbed as landing spot for Transfer Quarterback. dark

Follow us @KeepingItHeel on X (formerly Twitter) and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of UNC Football news, updates, and recruiting.

Home/UNC Football