Notre Dame Football: Jafar Armstrong, Tony Jones on Doak Walker Watch List

The Notre Dame football running back duo popped up on the watch list for the position’s most prestigious award.

Notre Dame football has had some solid backs over the years. That said, the Irish have never had a Doak Walker Award winner.

The Doak Walker Award, first awarded in 1990, honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a star halfback in college for the SMU Mustangs and in the National Football League for the Detroit Lions.

The watch list for the 2019 Doak Walker Award was released on Wednesday. Irish running backs Jafar Armstrong and Tony Jones were both on the list.

Being on the watch list is quite an honor for both backs, but realistically, neither one has a chance to win it. The duo will compliment one another in the Irish backfield this season. Armstrong will probably get the most reps, as he is the better pass-catcher. Jones will have more of a between the tackles, run out the clock and punch it in at the goal line role.

Both should excel a what they do, but neither one will likely put up the numbers to seriously contend for the award. That’s not a bad thing. Notre Dame football fans want to see their running back duo healthy and at 100 percent during the stretch run of the season. We’ll all take that over one of them winning an individual award. The player would, too.

Regardless and as previously mentioned, simply being on the list is an honor — both for the players and the program. It’s also a testament to the Notre Dame offensive line.

Oregon, Minnesota and Notre Dame were the only three teams in the country to have two running backs appear on the 2019 Doak Walker Award Watch List.