THE FLATS – For the second-straight season, Georgia Tech’s Dontae Smith (Spring Hill, Tenn./Spring Hill H.S.) is on the official watch list for the Doak Walker Award. Presented by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum, the Doak Walker Award annually honors college football’s top running back.
Entering his final collegiate campaign, Smith has rushed for 1,159 yards as a Yellow Jacket, which ranks 47th in Georgia Tech’s 130-year football history. He has led the Jackets in yards per rush each of the past three seasons (6.9, 5.6 and 4.8 yards per carry, respectively) and has scored 12 touchdowns in just 208 career carries, good for one score every 17.3 rushes. He’s compiled the impressive numbers while splitting carries with current NFL running backs Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions), Hassan Hall (Cleveland Browns) and Jordan Mason (San Francisco 49ers) since his arrival at Tech in 2018.
As a redshirt junior last season, Smith ran for 420 yards and five touchdowns on 87 carries, all career highs. He also caught 19 passes for 125 yards, which were also career bests.
Smith is one of 75 initial candidates for the 2023 Doak Walker Award. The list will be trimmed to 10 semifinalists and three finalists in November. The award’s national selection committee, which is comprised of past recipients, former All-Pro and All-America running backs, media members and special representatives, will vote for the winner, which will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December.
Smith and the Yellow Jackets open the 2023 campaign on Friday, Sept. 1 when they host Atlantic Coast Conference rival Louisville in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on ESPN.
2023 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS
Georgia Tech football season tickets, which guarantee the best seats and value for all of the exciting action of Tech’s seven home games in 2023 – including the Aflac Kickoff Game versus Louisville on Sept. 1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Nov. 25 regular-season finale versus archrival Georgia at Bobby Dodd Stadium – are on sale now, starting at just $225. For more information and to purchase season tickets online, click HERE.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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